Father Peter's Forum

Val J. Peter

INTRODUCTION: Twenty-five years ago, Richard Foster wrote a marvelous book entitled Celebration of Discipline – The Path to Spiritual Growth. It has sold more than a million copies so it is very, very popular. He is a Quaker and writes in a marvelous ecumenical fashion. Hope you enjoy this. Most of what is written is paraphrased directly from Foster. So the good stuff belongs to him and the other stuff belongs to myself.

Pastor Foster says: “The purpose of the Spiritual Disciplines is the total transformation of the person. They aim at replacing old destructive habits of thought with new life giving habits. Nowhere is this purpose more clearly seen than in the Discipline of study.”

1. St. Paul tells us we are transformed through “the renewal of the mind.” (Romans 12,2)

 How is the mind renewed?
 By applying our mind to those things that will transform our minds.
 St. Paul writing to the Philippians: (Phil 4,8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise think about these things).
 The Discipline of study is the primary vehicle to bring us to “think about these things.”
 Many Christians remain in bondage to fear, anxieties and superstitions and foolishness simply because they do not learn the Discipline of study.
 They pray in the spirit, sing with gusto, live in obedience to the Lord and yet their lives remain unchanged. Why? Because they have never taken up one of the central ways God uses to change us: study.
 Jesus makes this clear. “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8,32) …good feelings will not set us free…ecstatic experiences will not free us…getting “high on Jesus” will not free us. Without a knowledge of the truth, we will not be free.
 This principal is true in every area of human endeavor. It is true in biology and math. It is true in marriage and other human relationships. It’s especially true in reference to our spiritual life. Many are hampered and confused in their spiritual walk by simple ignorance of the truth.
 Many have been brought into a cruel bondage by false teaching. Jesus said of the Pharisees: “You crossed the sea and the land to make a single convert. And when he becomes a convert, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” (Matthew 25,15)

2. What is study?

Study is a specific kind of experience, careful attention to the mind so we are able to move in a certain direction.

 The Old Testament instructs the Israelites to write the laws of God on gates and doorposts, put them on their wrist so that “they shall be always in front of your eyes.” (Deuteronomy 11,18)
 The purpose of the instruction of Moses is to direct our mind repeatedly and regularly toward certain ways of thought about God and human relationships.
 A prayer wheel has the same objective. So does a rosary.
 Of course, the New Testament replaces laws written on doorposts with laws written on our hearts. And the New Testament leads us to Jesus, our inward teacher.
 Our ingrain habits of thought, which we have formed, will conform to the order of the thing being studied.
 What we study determines the kind of habits that are formed.
 That’s why Paul urges us to focus on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and gracious.

How is the process that occurs in study distinguished from mediation?

 Mediation is devotional.
 Study is analytical.
 Mediation will relish a word.
 Study will explain it.
 They sometimes overlap, but they’re two different experiences.
 There are “two books” to be studied: verbal and nonverbal.
 One is the world of books and lectures.
 The other is the book of nature, the careful observation of events and actions that are nonverbal fields of study.
 When we study, for example, what happens in a tragic situation we can learn a great deal.

3. There are four steps in study.

a. The first step is repetition…you may laugh at the old teaching method of repetition, but you need to know that repetition, even without understanding what is being repeated, does affect the inner mind if repeated enough…changing behavior…that’s why so many forms of spirituality emphasize the regular rehearsal of the deeds of God…and some forms of spirituality correctly train the individual to repeat certain affirmations regularly. (For example, thank you Lord for loving me.)…this trains the inner mind and will eventually modify behavior…this principal has known for centuries, but only recently has received scientific confirmation.
b. The second step in study is concentration…we have to concentrate on what we are studying. And when we do, learning is vastly increased…concentration centers the mind…the human mind has an incredible ability to concentrate…
 We live in a culture that does not value concentration, but values distraction…some read a book, play a game and watch TV at the same time. You can’t learn much doing that. There’s no concentration.
c. Comprehension is the third step in the Discipline of study…Jesus reminds us it is not just truth that sets us free, but knowledge of the truth. (John 8,32) So we read something over and over again and all of a sudden we understand what it means.
d. The fourth step in study is reflection. Comprehension defines what we’re studying and reflection defines the significance of what we are studying. To reflect on the events of our time leads us to the inner reality of those events. Jesus spoke of ears that do hear and eyes that do not see. When we ponder the meaning of what we study, we come to see and hear in a new way.

4. The Discipline of study demands humility. Study cannot happen until we are willing to be subject to the subject matter, as a learner, not as a teacher. Arrogance excludes a teachable moment.

5. We must understand there’s a big difference between the study of scripture and the devotional reading of scripture.

 In the study of Scripture, a high priority is placed on what it means, namely, interpretation.
 In devotional reading of Scripture, high priority is placed on our applying it, namely, what does it mean to me.

The Apostle Peter found some things in the epistles of “our beloved brother Paul” that were “hard to understand.” (2 Peter 3:15) If Peter found it so, so will we. We will need to work at it. Daily devotional reading is certainly commendable, but it is not the same as study.

6. Where is the best place to study? Almost anywhere as long as it is away from the distractions of home. To leave our house or apartment sets us free from the phone and domestic responsibilities and sets our mind into a learning mode. Perhaps a library…perhaps a Barnes and Noble…perhaps a retreat center…study requires large blocks of time.

7. What shall we study? It depends on what you need. I know one of the greatest needs among Christians today is simply studying large portions of Scripture. Consider taking a major book of the Bible such as Genesis or Jeremiah or John and read it straight through. Jot down notes and impressions. Another way is to take a smaller book like Ephesians or Romans and read it through each day for a month.

Also, think about studying some of the great classics in Christian literature. Here are some examples:

 The Confessions of St. Augustine.
 The Imitation of Christ by Thomas á Kempis.
 The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence.
 For pleasure, read The Little Flowers of St. Francis by Brother Ugolino.
 A heavier, but worthwhile work is Blaise Pascal’s Pensées.
 How about Martin Luther’s Table Talks?
 A heavier one is Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion.
 The Journal of George Fox.
 The better-known Journal of John Wesley.
 William Law’s A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life.
 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship.
 C. S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity.
 Francis de Sales’ Introduction to the Devout Life.
 Juliana of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love.

8. Then think about studying what Foster calls nonverbal books…The Study of Nature.

André Gide tells the story of a time he observed a moth being reborn from its chrysalis during a classroom lecture. He was so pleased with its beauty he showed it to his professor who replied with a note of disapproval: “What! Didn’t you know that a chrysalis is the envelope of a butterfly? It’s perfectly natural.” Gide says: “I knew my natural history, but he could not see it was marvelous. It was a thing of beauty and a joy.” Gide’s professor had only amassed information. He had not studied.

 The first step to the study of nature is reverent observation.
 The next step is to make friends with flowers and trees and little creatures that creep upon the earth. Perhaps the stories of St. Francis taming the wolf of Gubbio and preaching to the birds are not so far fetched.
 In The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevski advises us: “Love all God’s creation, the whole and every grain of sand in it. Love every leave, every ray of God’s light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things.”

Study is well worth our most serious effort.

Val J. Peter

INTRODUCTION:

Once again, what is being shared here in the following pages is Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline - The Path to Spiritual Growth which was written 25 years ago and has sold more than a million copies. This is mostly a paraphrase so the good things attribute to him and all the rest is mine.

1. Foster starts off by telling us that “Jesus calls us from loneliness to solitude.” Loneliness is a familiar phenomenon to just about everyone. It doesn’t mean simply being alone; loneliness means that we have the feeling that no one cares, no one is near. We might as well not exist. And the fear of loneliness turns into the fear of being alone. That’s a mistake, but it’s one that petrifies people. Loneliness is the little child who says no one ever plays with me. Loneliness is the college freshman who says: I live in the freshman dorm. Everyone comes and goes. No one notices me. No one cares. In high school, I was the center of attention. Now I’m a nobody. A highly placed executive sits in her office quite dejected, powerful, and yet no one seems to care. An old man is in a skilled nursing home, but he doesn’t feel like it’s a home. He’s waiting to go home.

It is this fear of being alone (different from solitude) that makes us turn on the TV as soon as we get up in the morning, leaving it on all day. It is this fear of being alone that drives us to noise in the crowds. We talk on and on, even if our words are inane. We have cell phones that bring us instant news or video or movies. T. S. Eliot describes us our culture when he writes:

Where shall the world be found,
Where shall the word resound
Not here
There is not enough silence.

Do we only have two choices, namely, loneliness or clatter/noise? Is there a middle ground called inner solitude and silence which can be cultivated, which can set us free from loneliness and fear, on one hand, and clatter and noise on the other? Is there a middle ground between the inner emptiness of loneliness and the utter banality of clutter and clatter? Yes. It is solitude and silence, inner fulfillment.

Solitude is really and truly a state of mind and heart more than it is a place. Solitude of heart can be maintained pretty much at all times. Being in a crowd or being alone has little to do with inward solitude and attentiveness to it. You can be a desert hermit and never experience solitude. You can be in the midst of a crowd and never experience solitude. If you possess inward solitude, you do not fear being alone for you know you are not alone. If you experience inner solitude, you know that fear of being with others is nonsense for they cannot control you. You can settle into a deep inner silence in the midst of noise and confusion whether you are with a whole bunch of people or all by yourself. You can always carry with you solitude of heart.

Foster says: “Inward solitude has outward manifestations”

 Jesus lived in inward “solitude of the heart” as He frequently experience outward solitude.
 He began His ministry by spending 40 days alone in the desert. (Matthew 4,1-11)
 Before He chose the Twelve Apostles, he spent the entire night alone in the desert. (Luke 6,12)
 When He was told that John the Baptist had been killed by Herod, He “withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place apart.” (Matthew 14,13)
 After the multiplication of the loaves and fishes feeding 5,000, Jesus “went up into the hills by Himself.” (Matthew 14,23)
 Following a long night of work: “In the morning, a great while before day, He rose and went out to a lonely place.” (Mark 1,35)
 When the apostles returned from their first mission of preaching and healing, Jesus instructed them: “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place.” (Mark 6,31)
 After He healed a leper, Jesus “withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.” (Luke 5,16)
 With Peter, James and John, He sought the silence of a lonely mountain for the Transfiguration. (Matthew 17,1-9)
 As He prepared for His most holy work, Jesus sought the solitude of the Garden of Gethsemane. (Matthew 26,36-46)
 It was a regular practice for Jesus to seek out solitary places.
 It should be the same for us.

2. Now let’s look at some spiritual heroes who know what makes for inner solitude.

a. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book Life Together has one chapter called “The Day Together” and the chapter after that called “The Day Alone.” Both are essential for spiritual success. This is what he says: “Let him who cannot be alone, beware of community…let him who is not in community beware of being alone…each by itself has profound pitfalls and perils. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation and despair.”
b. The inseparable connection between inner solitude and inner silence:

 All the masters of the interior life speak of the two in the same breath.
 The Imitation of Christ, which was the unchallenged masterpiece of devotional literature for 500 years has a section entitled “On the love of solitude and silence.”
 Dietrich Bonhoeffer makes the two inseparable in Life Together.
 Thomas Merton does the same in his book Thoughts in Solitude.
 Foster says: “Spiritual Disciplines are things that we do. We must never lose sight of this fact.” It is one thing to talk piously about the solitude of the heart, but if that does not somehow work its way into our experience, then we have missed the point of the Discipline…all those who have come into the living silences have done certain things, have ordered their lives in a particular way so as to receive this “peace that surpasses all understanding.”
 Foster says there are steps into the solitude and the first one is to take advantage of “little solitudes” that fill our day. The early morning moments in bed before the family awakens…a morning cup of coffee before beginning the day’s work…the solitude of bumper to bumper traffic during rush hour…driving to the store…turning the corner and seeing a tree or flower…with your children “let’s play a game and see if everyone can be absolutely quiet for five minutes until we reach the airport”…the little walk from the subway to your apartment…step outside before bed and taste the silent night.
 Foster says also we can develop a “quiet place”…a spot in our house, a spot in the church, a spot in the park.
 Foster also recommends about four times a year we withdraw for three or four hours for the purpose of reorienting our life goals. You can do this easily in one evening. Stay late at the office, do it at home, find a quiet corner in the public library.
 Thomas Merton says: “It is in deep solitude that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love my brothers. The more solitary I am, the more affection I have for them…solitude and silence teach me to love my brothers for what they are, not for what they say.”
 Foster writes: “Don’t you feel a tug, a yearning to seek down into the silence and solitude of God? Don’t you long for something more? It is the Discipline of solitude that will open the door.” You are welcome to come in and listen to God’s speech and His wondrous, terrible, gentle loving, all embracing silence.” (Catherine de Haeck Doherty)