THE VIRGIN EYE ROBIN DANIELS. Edited by Katherine Daniels TOWARDS A CONTEMPLATIVE VIEW OF LIFE

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1 THE VIRGIN EYE TOWARDS A CONTEMPLATIVE VIEW OF LIFE ROBIN DANIELS Edited by Katherine Daniels Copyright Robin and Katherine Daniels 2016

2 VII The Day O Lord, who hast brought me from the sleep of last night Unto the joyous light of this new day, Be Thou ever bringing me from the first gleams of this day Unto the guiding light of eternal life. Celtic prayer A book could be written about the value of getting up an hour earlier than usual, to greet the innocent brightness of a newborn Day (Wordsworth, Ode on the Intimations of Immortality ). A survey of great composers showed that a majority were at their most creative just before or just after breakfast. Our day can be determined by how we use its first hour. Depending on personal needs, this hour can provide: a communing with God by prayer, meditation and reflection; time to limber up; a deepening of your stability and concentration by watching your breath; a preview of the coming day s events: seeing them in their true perspective so that energy (physical, intellectual and emotional) is saved for what is really important; a reminder of reserve strengths, which may be needed for challenges, expected or unexpected;

3 time to get centred/balanced/coordinated and well paced for the rest of the day, so that, as often as possible, I listen, speak and behave from my best self. It is a major boost for morale throughout the day to have used the first hour or two so productively. But this time is not only preparatory: it is precious, and to be prized, in and for itself: Oh that we had spent but one day in this world thoroughly well! (Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ). Each day is given to us by God if we listen for the message of its uniqueness with a special shape and colouring, and is filled with opportunities some of which will never recur. Every hour is precious: This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24). Our sharpened awareness of each day s possibilities, and our own potential for missing out neglecting, not seeing, or seeing but not taking action on what we see can increase our sense of responsibility to greet and co-design each day in harmony and partnership with God (1 Corinthians 3:9). How we spend our days is how we spend our life. You should be a good economist of your moments. 1 If you consecrate the whole of your life to God each day, each hour, each moment then all your activities converge into a holy simplicity. All the variety and multiplicity of life become unified, and if it be God s wish you will have deeper union with Him. Each person, each event, each moment (whether joyful or painful), offers potential for learning and for spiritual growth. Above all, we need to trust in His ultimate plan and purpose for our life: Whatever God wills is most consoling, whether it is 1 Lord Chesterfield, Letters to His Son, Letter CLXXXVII, 20th July 1749.

4 comfort or discomfort (Eckhart, About the Will, The Talks of Instruction). Routine The desert fathers (from St Antony of Egypt onwards) did manual work every day except Sunday. On visits, St Athanasius (Antony s first biographer) usually found him contentedly weaving mats or baskets. Living the life of a renunciate, Anthony s day also included very early rising, pastoral interviews with other monks, reading sacred texts, and many hours on his knees in prayer. Daily routines and observances can help us to keep our eyes on God and our service of Him. People in religious orders know the value of regularity and rhythm in their day. We can also learn from various professions about the importance of personal rituals. For example, many surgeons prepare for a major operation by being on automatic pilot in the early morning: they eat the same breakfast, put on the same clothes and drive to the hospital by their favourite route. They adopt these customs not usually because they are superstitious, but because it helps them to maintain clarity of attention: all their energy, all their concentration, is needed in the operating theatre. They will be ready to improvise, often at moments of crisis. Adhering to a relatively structured day saves the mind from having to make many minor decisions and gives freedom to listen for the will and voice of God. But regularity need not mean repetitiveness (of attitude and/or action): like an artist or a musician, you can improvise, as the moment and the circumstances indicate. If every day has a threefold blend continuity, spontaneity and rhythm then God s living presence will be your guide, your ground base. The Way is very simple: each day walk, pray, eat, sleep, carry out your duties, read sacred Scripture. Do these things with full attention. Your opportunities for awakening are everywhere.

5 The imperative is to make the most of each day, each hour. Every day can be a summary of life, lived with the same vigour as if it were one s last. This means hoping, but not expecting; longing for, but also willing to let go; concentrating on the present, and leaving results and the future to God. If I hold on to a desire too tightly, I am not fully allowing God to put His hand on the situation. My clutching feels like a solo effort accompanied by fear. God longs for it to be collaborative. Grounding the day in prayer The ultimate devotion is prayer woven into the fabric of daily life. Most people who seek to serve God through their work and relationships will build a framework of prayer to start and end each day. The first and the last word of the day belong to Him. If you want to become a loyal servant of God, be more prayerfull from the very first moments after you wake up. Immediately, lift your heart and mind to Him. As soon as you wake up, remind yourself that God is present with you (now and always), and rejoice. Not only remind yourself, feel and experience His presence. Now be present to Him (Psalm 73:23, 28), and resolve to maintain communion. Express to God your complete confidence and your hope (Psalm 71; Hebrews 6:18 19). Entrust yourself, consecrate yourself and your day to Him, your strength. All that you do will gain in depth (Matthew 13:8), energy and stillness. Offer everything to Him all hopes and hurts, all coming events (the known and the unforeseen). Pray that you will stay in contact with Him. Thank your Maker for another day to love Him and serve Him. Finally, yield each of these prayers to God s sovereign action. Many people find it both helpful and natural to begin and end their time of devotion with praise, the prayer of humble

6 adoration. Here is an inspiring prayer by St Ignatius that is especially suitable for morning devotions: Fill us, we pray Thee, with Thy light and life that we may show forth Thy wondrous glory. Grant that Thy love may so fill our life that we may count nothing too small to do for Thee, and nothing too big to bear. Having begun your devotions using words and/or images, if you wish enter the prayer of quiet: simple watching, and watching simply (Habakkuk 2:1, 3), with loving attentiveness. To pray is to kneel in dependence (Hebrews 4:9, 10). At the end of your morning prayer make core resolves for the coming day, such as to maintain purity of heart, and a vivid sense of God s companionship. And pray that all your actions will be done in union with Him, in the service of His kingdom of love. The doer is God Himself (Isaiah 26:12). He produces our capacity for action, and inspires us to use our talents with and for love. Midday is a brief rest on the day s journey, giving an opportunity to listen, no longer to the sounds of the world but to the sound of silence, and to find time to be alone with God (Psalm 55:17; Daniel 6:10). Having shut the doors of home and prayer room (or office), close also, as far as possible, the inner door against unruliness and turmoil (Matthew 6:6). We do well to remember that the body s stillness is an ally of inner stillness. Review/renew your good intentions, and pray for the strength to accomplish all your resolutions. Thank Him for the grace and privilege of your vocation. As well as strengthening your bond with God and sharing with Him the silence of eternity, noon-time prayers are ideal for intercession, and for sanctifying time, especially those periods of the day which you normally waste, or regard as unprofitable. Then you will not be slave to the passing show, but receive each moment from the hand of God each moment to be spent giving Him glory.

7 As important as regular and more formal prayer times is the praying in between, when contemplation merges into loving service: the Word inspires becomes the doing of the Word (James 1:22). Remember God s presence as often as you can during the day Sensing His eyes upon you filled with incomparable love pray: O God, why do I not look for you in the way that you are always looking on me? Why, when you think always of me, do I think so seldom of you? O my soul, my true home is in Him; but where am I most of the time? They who love God can never cease to think on Him, sigh for Him, aspire to Him, and speak to Him; and would, if it were possible, engrave the sacred name of Jesus on the breasts of all mankind. To this all things invite them, as there is no creature that does not declare to them the praises of their beloved. St Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life Tune all of yourself body and mind, heart and soul to God s wavelength. How are you to do this? Accept everything He presents to you. And in return, offer Him your whole day and night. Thank Him for His goodness (Psalm 26:6 7). Praise Him for all His gifts, and for specific gifts. Praise God for Himself. We grow by giving. Set aside half an hour to make the following meditation suggested by St Ignatius: I will ponder with great affection how much the Lord our God has done for me, and how much He has given me; and, finally, how much the same Lord desires to give of Himself to me, according to His divine decrees. Then I shall reflect upon myself, and consider according to all reason and justice, what I ought to offer back to the Divine Majesty that is, all I possess,

8 and myself with it. Thus, as one who is moved by great feeling, I shall make this offering of myself. St Ignatius, Spiritual Exercises Interweave your life with constant conversation with God: intimate dialogue, yet with no diminution of respect and homage for His divinity. Indeed, God made us for this intimacy with Him. Nothing delights Him more. Tell God of your hopes and plans, your fears and wounds (Psalm 27:5), your joys whatever is on your mind or in your emotional life. All through the day, stay aware of God, ever at your side, walking with you to protect, calm, guide and inspire. While you are in the very midst of all activities, remind yourself that you are always united to the Almighty. You are His child; God is your Creator and Sustainer. Praise Him for this, your highest good. Do as the little children do; little children who, with one hand hold fast to their father, and with the other gather strawberries or blackberries along the hedges; do you, while gathering and managing the goods of this world with one hand, with the other always hold fast the hand of your heavenly Father, turning to Him from time to time to see if your actions or occupations are pleasing to Him; but take heed, above all things, that you never let go His hand, thinking to gather more; for should He let you go, you will not be able to take another step without falling. Thus will God work with you, in you, and for you, and your labour shall be followed by consolation. St Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life If you are God-centred, then your part in this divine human dialogue is threefold: to wait, to hear and then to respond. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening (1 Samuel 3:9, NIV UK). Allow this daily conversation to become friendship. How

9 marvellous that this is what our Sovereign Majesty is also most hoping for. Now, and at each moment, God is available and ever-present in the very core and centre of your soul. In addition, He is always wishing to speak to you, via all the events and circumstances of everyday life. Your role is to match God s presence by being present to Him, in loving remembrance (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Earthly life is our preparation and proving ground for life in eternity. In your evening devotions, thank God for the untold number of benefits He gives, and for any special graces you have received. Raise heart and mind to God as you did when you woke up, and as you have been trying to do from then until now. Reoffer to Him all the work and happenings of the day. Then ask yourself: In what ways, and by which people, has God been calling me? Have I been watchful and sensitive: to Him, to myself, to others? How have I responded? Consider any neglect: of people, of duty or of responsibility, and above all, any faltering of attention to Him. Recall events which you could have handled better, with more tact. Have I allowed God to reach me, touch me, guide me? Have I hallowed both time and His holy name? Am I increasing in love? Gaze on God with the eye of the soul, and then conclude with a brief prayer: Please grant me a peaceful night. I entrust my body and soul, all my relatives and friends, to the care of Your providence. Accompany your drift into sleep with a prayer word or phrase, or aspiration, taking St Teresa of Ávila s advice: as you ready yourself for sleep, see yourself as releasing your mind and body into the arms of God.

10 When the soft dews of kindly sleep My wearied eyelids gently steep, Be my last thought, how sweet to rest For ever on my Saviour s breast. John Keble, hymn, Sun of My Soul, Thou Saviour Dear How grand is the place of honour we should accord to prayer every day of our life, and all day. In the triad model, your prayer to God is adoration and thanksgiving; prayer for self-healing is (in part) confession and a plea for absolution, and His forgiveness; prayer for others is placing their needs in the arms of the God of mercy. Prayers May I value the divine importance of this day, seeing it as an integral part or portion of my whole life specially designed and fashioned by You, and therefore irreplaceable. In love and obedience, and with action matching aspiration, I offer unto You the results of all that I shall do this day. May it please You to grant me more strength, hour by hour, to cultivate a spirit of consecration in all I think and say and do, dedicating each moment of my life to You. In all things major and seemingly minor may I correspond to Your graces, and fulfil Your hopes for me this day, mindful that some of its offerings and opportunities may never recur.

11 First published in Great Britain by Instant Apostle, Instant Apostle The Barn 1 Watford House Lane Watford Herts WD17 1BJ Copyright Robin and Katherine Daniels 2016 All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1946, 1952, and 1971 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV UK are taken from the New International Version Anglicized, NIV Copyright 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown s patentee, Cambridge University Press. Every effort has been made to seek permission to use copyright material reproduced in this book. The publisher and author apologise for those cases where permission might not have been sought and, if notified, will formally seek permission at the earliest opportunity. The views and opinions expressed in this work are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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