Hello friends,
Welcome to the 26th episode of Christian Meditation with me,
Anita Mathias.
I'm glad you're here.
Let's begin to detach from the world,
To retreat into the inner sanctuary of the self and to just be with our breath and with the God who gave us breath.
Close your eyes,
Sit straight or cross-legged and begin to breathe.
Good posture in meditation helps us focus and,
Oddly,
To feel better.
Sit straight,
Head over heart,
Heart over pelvis.
As you begin to relax,
Breathe out all the stresses of your day and life into the hands of God.
Breathe in the peace of the one who created the night skies.
Breathe out again a long exhale.
Breathe in the love of God surrounding you like air.
As your mind and body begins to relax,
Ask for the love of God who is your maker to pulse and course through your body,
Particularly to any places which may need healing.
If you like,
Lay your hands on one of them.
Heal us,
O Lord,
And we shall be healed.
Slowly roll your shoulders clockwise,
Anti-clockwise.
Stretch the arms upwards.
Clasp your right wrist with your left hand and bend towards the left.
And then reverse the motion.
If there's still tension in your shoulders,
Cactus the arms.
I.
E.
Lift them at right angles and stretch them slightly backwards.
Slowly move your head backwards to the left,
Resting your left ear on your left shoulder.
Forward,
Chin to chest,
And to the right.
Ball your fists,
Tense your fingers,
Wriggle them out like a starburst.
Breathe.
Now send your breath towards your belly.
Place your hand there as you breathe deeply.
Feel your stomach rise and fall.
Continue sending your breath to your hips and down to your toes.
Clench your toes,
Wriggle them,
Relax.
Breathe.
And try a last whole-body exhale and inhale,
Sending your breath from your nose to your toes and back again.
The most ancient breath-pray in the Christian tradition is the famous Jesus Pray,
Particularly used in the Eastern Orthodox tradition to still the mind and reach a state they call hesychia,
Stillness and inner quietness.
Try saying the Jesus Pray whenever you need to calm down,
Exhaling and inhaling on each phrase.
The Jesus Pray calms my mind when it is agitated or stressed.
It helps me drift back to sleep if I wake up in the middle of the night.
The Jesus Pray,
Based on three New Testament phrases,
Is Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of God,
Have mercy on me,
A sinner.
We traditionally exhale and inhale with each phrase.
Exhale,
Lord Jesus Christ.
Inhale,
Son of God.
Exhale,
Have mercy.
Inhale,
On me,
A sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of God,
Have mercy on me,
A sinner.
Let's agree to Matthew 22,
Our scripture passage for this meditation.
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
The Pharisees got together.
One of them,
An expert in the law,
Tested him with this question,
Teacher,
Which is the greatest commandment in the law?
Jesus replied,
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.
So an expert in the Mosaic law,
A Pharisee,
One of his old enemies,
Test Jesus.
Teacher,
Which is the greatest commandment in the law?
A mind field,
A trap,
For the question implied,
And which of the 613 commands in the Torah,
The first five books of the Bible,
Is less important?
And Christ,
To the point,
Simple,
Incisive words,
Distill the law's multitudinous thou shalt and thou shalt nots into one radiant word from the Torah,
Which bathes everything in golden light.
Love.
Love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Jesus quotes Deuteronomy.
This is the great and first,
The Megale and Protos commandment,
He says.
For in worshipping God,
Our souls find surrender,
Peace,
Direction and joy.
A rightness.
But we live among people.
And so Jesus gave us a second commandment.
He quotes an obscure verse from Leviticus.
You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
He uses the Koine Greek words agape,
Generous concern,
And plesion,
Those near or close by.
Or,
As Jesus put it in his golden rule,
In everything,
Do to others what you would have them do to you.
Which somehow seems more doable.
On these two commandments,
These two hinges of love,
Jesus says,
All the law and the prophets hang a quarter of the Bible.
And indeed,
Our own lives and this world would be far sweeter if we treated others as we wish to be treated.
So much dishonesty,
Sharp speech and unkindness would be simply eliminated.
We would not sow bitter seeds and our harvests would be blessed.
And so a golden triangle to guide our lives and decisions.
Love God first,
For he who created this universe and you,
And who loves you,
The dream giver,
Dream granter,
Is worthy of your love.
Love yourself,
Treating yourself with kindness.
Don't push or berate yourself,
Nor neglect your physical,
Spiritual or mental health.
And treat others as gently and considerably as you would wish to be treated.
This triangle is Jesus' brilliant summary of the law and the prophets.
Love God,
As Jesus did,
Waking very early while it was still dark,
To chat with his Father in heaven.
Love yourself,
As Jesus loved himself,
Maintaining his physical,
Spiritual and emotional strength through time alone,
Praying in gardens,
In the desert,
By the river Jordan and on mountains.
Love people,
As Jesus did,
Sharing a bountiful meal he created from a few loaves,
Cooking fish for his disciples,
Bringing healing through his presence,
His faith,
His words.
This great golden triad is a guide and compass for our lives.
Love of God,
Of those close to us,
And of our own selves.
May God be with us as we try to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
