Chapel in the Forest

Next Sunday marks the Last Sunday after the Epiphany. Do you recall that the theme of that day in the Liturgical year is always the Transfiguration of the Lord? The bright, uncreated light of divinity emanates from Jesus as he sits between the great prophets, Moses and Elija. The three of them talk together on the mountaintop. Peter, James, and John are the startled witnesses of these things. I want to think through the theme as thoroughly as I can, tomorrow perhaps. Before I do I want to hold up a deep, but less dramatic kind of connection with Christ.

Meditation has been part of Christian prayer from the very beginning. Jesus set himself apart often between the busy times of journeying, teaching, and healing. He did so for prayer. In teaching about prayer (Matthew 6:6) he said, “When you pray, go into a room by yourself, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is there in the secret place; and your Father who sees what is secret will reward you.” He said (Matthew 5:8) “How blest are those whose hearts are pure; they shall see God. The early solitaries came to see the purifying of the heart as the result of silent prayer, attentive simply to the presence of God. I work on practicing daily Christian meditation and open this practice in a virtual group setting on “Zoom” on Tuesdays at 4 PM and on Thursdays at 7 AM.

Below is a sample of some playful imagining I have used to introduce the quiet mode of meditation. Ask me questions about it if you wish, and let it spawn your own interest in practicing meditation. The meditation itself is a keeping of silence for 20 to 30 minutes, but I like to have a lead-in exercise, such as this.

Picture this… Walk along in a pleasant forest until you come to a simple square stone chapel, with an open door on every side You are greeted warmly by one of the four keepers of the place. This curator’s special interest is to ensure the Chapel is a place of stillness. A second figure, one of her partners keeps the sanctuary as a place of comfortable darkness, like the soft shade when our eyes are closed. Another fosters lovely simplicity, like the single-pointed attention a friend gives to a friend. The fourth keeper cherishes the beauty of silence, the tranquil calm of quiet, as when for a time we utter not a sound. The four kindly keepers are called Hesychia, Skotadi, Aplotita, and Sigae. In English, their names are Stillness, Darkness, Simplicity, Silence. They have you take one of the four inward-facing chairs in the center of the safe and simple room. They each shut a door and stand silently by.

You realize these woods are not foreign to you, but part of you. You’re bathed in them. The chapel is not external but part of you. It’s not overwhelming, or worrisome, but natural, and calming. You sit in a chair and know it is yours. The chairs, right and left, are taken by the Prayer Word that you will listen to internally, and the Rhythms of heart and breathing which pace your prayer. The fourth chair stays open for the divine Presence, the Word, the Spirit of Christ. Here you are, teamed with heart and breath rhythms, and with your word. (I listen for the ancient Aramaic prayer word, Maranatha hearing each of its four syllables. Aramaic is the language Jesus spoke.) Whenever distracted, you set aside thoughts. You come back to listening to your prayer word, rhythmically, silently sounding; expectant for the presence of God. Day by day, you go into your room. Again and again, you go, and steadily you’re brought into union with God.