Sáng sớm tôi bước ra đường để đi bộ.
Mặt trời chưa lên khỏi ngọn cây,
nhưng cả bầu trời đã sáng.
Quanh tôi, khu phố vẫn còn ngủ yên.
Giữa mùa hè
mà ngoài trời chỉ có 55 độ.
Thật là thần tiên!
Cái lạnh buổi sáng làm tôi cảm thấy sảng khoái, dễ chịu.
Hít những hơi thở dài cho tôi cái cảm tưởng
như từng tế bào trong người tôi đang bừng tỉnh,
như hạnh phúc đang len lỏi thấm vào từng mạch máu li ti trong tôi.
Đây là giây phút tôi gặp Chúa, gặp Sự Sống của tôi,
là giây phút thánh của tôi.
Đây là nơi chốn tôi gặp gỡ Ngài, là "bụi gai bốc cháy" của tôi,
là đất thánh của tôi.
Tôi có những ước mơ cho cuộc đời,
có những đam mê cho một lý tưởng cao qúy,
có những hăng say cho một ơn gọi sống trọn vẹn
và tôi hiểu
tất cả đều bắt nguồn từ đây,
từ giây phút thánh này,
từ đất thánh này.
Tôi biết tại sao tôi mê thích
những buổi sáng đi bộ.
Vũ Tiến
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
World Youth Day 2011, Madrid August 16-21
I woke up in darkness
Surrounded by silence
So where, where have I gone?
I woke to reality
Losing its grip on me
Oh where, where have I gone?
'Cause I can see the light
Before I see the sunrise
[chorus]
You called and You shouted
Broke through my deafness
Now I'm breathing in and breathing out
I'm alive again
You shattered my darkness
Washed away my blindness
Now I'm breathing in and breathing out
I'm alive again
Late have I loved You
You waited for me, I searched for You
What took me so long?
I was looking outside
As if Love would ever want to hide
I'm finding I was wrong
'Cause I can feel the wind
Before it hits my skin
[]
'Cause I want You,
Yes I want You I need You, and I'll do
Whatever I have to just to get through
'Cause I love You,
Yeah I love You
[]
Ignatian Spirituality - Charles J. Jackson, S.J. - [5]
Examination of Consciousness
The Examination of Consciousness is a simple form of prayer directed toward developing a spiritual sensitivity to the special ways God approaches, invites and calls.
It should be done at the end of each day, though it can be done more frequently, as the person feels drawn to it. The more frequently he does it, however, the more natural it becomes for him. Thus it becomesa way of consciousness, a way of growing into an ever-closer relationshipwith God. It can take anywhere between five and fifteen minutes. It really doesn’t matter how long one spends; the important thing is that he opens himself to recognizing and responding to God’s movements within him.
St. Ignatius suggests five steps to the Examination of Consciousness. It is important, however, that the person feels free to structure the Examination in a way that is most helpful to him. There is no right way to do it; nor is there a need to go through all of the five points each time. A person might, for instance, find himself spending the entire time on only one or two points. The basic rule is: Go wherever God draws you. And this touches upon an important point: the Examination of Consciousness is primarily a time of prayer; it is a ‘being with God.’
The five points Ignatius proposes are:
The Examination of Consciousness is a simple form of prayer directed toward developing a spiritual sensitivity to the special ways God approaches, invites and calls.
It should be done at the end of each day, though it can be done more frequently, as the person feels drawn to it. The more frequently he does it, however, the more natural it becomes for him. Thus it becomesa way of consciousness, a way of growing into an ever-closer relationshipwith God. It can take anywhere between five and fifteen minutes. It really doesn’t matter how long one spends; the important thing is that he opens himself to recognizing and responding to God’s movements within him.
St. Ignatius suggests five steps to the Examination of Consciousness. It is important, however, that the person feels free to structure the Examination in a way that is most helpful to him. There is no right way to do it; nor is there a need to go through all of the five points each time. A person might, for instance, find himself spending the entire time on only one or two points. The basic rule is: Go wherever God draws you. And this touches upon an important point: the Examination of Consciousness is primarily a time of prayer; it is a ‘being with God.’
The five points Ignatius proposes are:
- Recall that you are in the presence of God: You are before God who loves you and welcomes you, who enlightens and guides you. Embrace the God who dwells in you, the God ever at work in you.
- Give thanks to God for his many gifts: Give thanks to God for what he has allowed you to do this day and for what you have received this day, the pleasant and the difficult, for the word of encouragement and the generous gesture, for your family and friends, for all those who challenge you to grow.
- Examine how you have lived this day: What has happened to you in your life and relationships? How has God been at work in you? What has he asked of you? And how have you responded: with generosity or self-centeredness, honesty or deceit?
- Ask for forgiveness: Ask pardon for your failures to understand or respond to others in their difficulties and pain. Ask pardon for not loving God in every part of your life.
- Offer a prayer of hope-filled re-commitment: I am aware of my weakness, yet am confident in God’s strength. I renew my commitment to follow the path that God offers me to be a source of light for all creation. ‘If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old has passed away. See, everything has become new.’ (2 Cor. 2:17)
Phút Hồi Tâm có trở nên nhàm chán chăng?
Nghe một số người, kể cả tu sĩ lẫn giáo dân, nói rằng họ không còn làm phút hồi tâm hằng ngày nữa vì lâu ngày trở nên nhàm, cha Herbert Alphonso, S.J. suy nghĩ nhiều để tìm hiểu lý do.
Nghe họ kể rằng mỗi ngày họ hồi tưởng lại những biến chuyển trong ngày, cảm tạ Chúa vì những ơn sủng nhận được, rồi xét xem đã làm những gì đúng và nhất là những gì sai trái để nhìn nhận những thiếu xót của mình, từ đó xin Chúa giúp để sống xứng đáng hơn. Vậy tại sao đối với họ dần dần phút hồi tâm trở nên nhàm chán? Cha Alphonso - trong cuốn Discovering Your Personal Vocation - nghĩ rằng ngài đã tìm được một câu trả lời:
Như thế, phút hồi tâm không phải là xét mình xem đã làm gì đúng hay sai, nhưng phút hồi tâm là một việc nhận định giúp tôi yêu mến hơn. Cha Alphonso viết:
VTL
Nghe họ kể rằng mỗi ngày họ hồi tưởng lại những biến chuyển trong ngày, cảm tạ Chúa vì những ơn sủng nhận được, rồi xét xem đã làm những gì đúng và nhất là những gì sai trái để nhìn nhận những thiếu xót của mình, từ đó xin Chúa giúp để sống xứng đáng hơn. Vậy tại sao đối với họ dần dần phút hồi tâm trở nên nhàm chán? Cha Alphonso - trong cuốn Discovering Your Personal Vocation - nghĩ rằng ngài đã tìm được một câu trả lời:
"I think I have come up with an answer: We have made of the examination of conscience an exercise of mere morality; it is, in fact, the daily exercise of discernment.
Morality, as such, belongs to the Old Testament; what is typical of the New Testament is not morality, but discernment."Theo cha Alphonso, người môn đệ của Chúa Kitô không hành động dựa trên tiêu chuẩn đúng hay sai của Cựu Ước. Nhưng dựa trên luật của Tân Ước là luật của tình yêu khắc ghi trong đáy lòng mỗi người. Do đó người môn đệ nhận định xem giữa hai điều, nên làm điều gì để có thể yêu mến hơn.
Như thế, phút hồi tâm không phải là xét mình xem đã làm gì đúng hay sai, nhưng phút hồi tâm là một việc nhận định giúp tôi yêu mến hơn. Cha Alphonso viết:
"Christians decide through discernment, in seeking to find out where greater love beckons them. In this sense, as an exercise of discernment, the Examination of Conscience is the typical New Testament exercise."Năm nay chủ đề của các buổi Họp Mặt Vùng là "Magis", đi tìm những gì "hơn nữa" theo lời khuyên của thánh I-Nhã, hy vọng câu trả lời của cha Alphonso cũng giúp chúng ta có một cái nhìn mới "hơn" về Phút Hồi Tâm để qua đó chúng ta không thấy nhàm chán vì chỉ chú tâm đến những sự phải trái đã làm trong ngày, nhưng để sống yêu mến hơn.
VTL
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Ignatian Spirituality - Charles J. Jackson, S.J. - [4]
Discernment
Discernment is rooted in the understanding that God is ever at work in our lives – inviting, directing, guiding and drawing us into the fullness of life. Its central action is reflection on the ordinary events of our lives. It seeks to discover God’s presence in these moments and to follow the direction and guidance he gives us through his grace. It is not the events themselves that are of interest, but rather the affective responses they evoke in us - feelings of joy, sorrow, peace, anxiety and all the indefinable ‘somethings’ that arise and stir within us. It is precisely here that through faith we can discover God’s direction and guidance in our lives.
Discernment presupposes an ability to reflect on the ordinary events of one’s life, a habit of personal prayer, self-knowledge, knowledge of one’s deepest desires and openness to God’s direction and guidance. Discernment is a prayerful ‘pondering’ or ‘mulling over’ the choices a person wishes to consider. In his discernment, the person’s focus should be on a quiet attentiveness to God and sensing rather than thinking. His goal is to understand the choices in his heart: to see them, as it were, as God might see them. In one sense, there is no limit to how long he might wish to continue in this. Discernment is a repetitive process, yet as the person continues, some choices should of their own accord fall by the wayside while others should gain clarity and focus. It is a processthat should move inexorably toward a decision.
St. Ignatius observed that the Spirit of God works to encourage and give joy and inner peace to the person who is trying to respond generously to God’s love; the spirit of evil, on the other hand, interjects discouragement, anxiety and fear. In other words, the person honestly seeking God can discover God’s direction and guidance by being sensitive to the affective responses his considerations evoke in him. Does one option evoke a sense of peace? Perhaps God is affirming it. Does another leave him unsettled? Then perhaps God is directing him elsewhere. In all this, he must be sensitive to where he experiences peace and joy, inspiration and hope. It needs to be pointed out, however, that his finding himself affirmed or unsettled in his considerations does not necessarily mean that God is affirming or negating anything. Discernment is a conver-gence of many factors, all of which need to be weighed and evaluated in prayer. A person’s mind may offer sage advice, but discernment ultimately happens in the heart.
Discernment is rooted in the understanding that God is ever at work in our lives – inviting, directing, guiding and drawing us into the fullness of life. Its central action is reflection on the ordinary events of our lives. It seeks to discover God’s presence in these moments and to follow the direction and guidance he gives us through his grace. It is not the events themselves that are of interest, but rather the affective responses they evoke in us - feelings of joy, sorrow, peace, anxiety and all the indefinable ‘somethings’ that arise and stir within us. It is precisely here that through faith we can discover God’s direction and guidance in our lives.
Discernment presupposes an ability to reflect on the ordinary events of one’s life, a habit of personal prayer, self-knowledge, knowledge of one’s deepest desires and openness to God’s direction and guidance. Discernment is a prayerful ‘pondering’ or ‘mulling over’ the choices a person wishes to consider. In his discernment, the person’s focus should be on a quiet attentiveness to God and sensing rather than thinking. His goal is to understand the choices in his heart: to see them, as it were, as God might see them. In one sense, there is no limit to how long he might wish to continue in this. Discernment is a repetitive process, yet as the person continues, some choices should of their own accord fall by the wayside while others should gain clarity and focus. It is a processthat should move inexorably toward a decision.
St. Ignatius observed that the Spirit of God works to encourage and give joy and inner peace to the person who is trying to respond generously to God’s love; the spirit of evil, on the other hand, interjects discouragement, anxiety and fear. In other words, the person honestly seeking God can discover God’s direction and guidance by being sensitive to the affective responses his considerations evoke in him. Does one option evoke a sense of peace? Perhaps God is affirming it. Does another leave him unsettled? Then perhaps God is directing him elsewhere. In all this, he must be sensitive to where he experiences peace and joy, inspiration and hope. It needs to be pointed out, however, that his finding himself affirmed or unsettled in his considerations does not necessarily mean that God is affirming or negating anything. Discernment is a conver-gence of many factors, all of which need to be weighed and evaluated in prayer. A person’s mind may offer sage advice, but discernment ultimately happens in the heart.
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