When we hear the Gospel or pray through the Psalms, we will often notice a particular phrase or word that stands out to us and we might turn this line over in our mind during the homily at Mass or during our time of prayer. However, once Mass is over or our time of prayer has come to an end, the moment passes and often we no longer remember what it was that caught our attention or awoke our imagination. Yet, we sense that somehow through this encounter God spoke to our hearts and we responded in that moment to the movememnt of the Holy Spirit within.
We might regularly spend more time with the Gospel, in an ancient practice known as Lectio Divina, passing time with the text and letting our reading spill into silent prayer, resting with a word or phrase as we listen and wait for the Word to speak to our hearts. Both kinds of encounter and moments of attentiveness to the Scriptures will stand you in good stead for engaging with the Word in another way still.
We would like to encourage pilgrims on this jouney to engage in a third way of interacting with both the Gospel and indeed with the COLW Book of Life. It may be that you are very familiar with written journalling as part of your prayer life. Not everyone has tried it, however, and may not feel comfortable with the idea straight away.
Anchoring reflection
We suggest that while reading the Book of Life and while reflecting upon its words in the light of the daily Gospel, you find a notebook or a piece of paper and jot down three things initially, in answer to three questions.
How can I say 'yes' today (how did I say yes today)?
How can I give thanks today (how did I give thanks today)?
How is God forming me today (what is Jesus teaching me today)?
The questions are inspired by the COLW prayer:
O Mary, teach us to say yes to the Lord, every moment of our life
O Mary, teach us to give thanks to the Lord, every moment of our life
If you are new to journaling and you proceed in a prayerful and reflective way, you might gradually find that you want to write more. You might begin to reflect on more than the texts and what you're reading specifically about COLW. You might decide to examine other things in your life or in the world around us. Is there a link between our reading and the current situation? What about our own life and our memories or our understanding of our own past and present actions, relationships and decisions?
Little by little we begin to digest the words and we try to set down on paper what they stir in our hearts.
We are looking here at engaging with our interior and exterior senses. In writing down our reactions and thoughts, we are expressing the movement of the heart, the response of the emotions and examining our memories, ideas, concerns, sufferings and hopes. We can also enter into the physical act of writing, of expressing on paper and putting into words what might have only remained half formed thoughts which we would never normally have made time to unpack and explore.
When we engage with our own will in this way (it can be an act of will to turn thoughts into text and grapple with what we might have been thinking and experiencing), we can express things which we would likely never say to another person out loud or normally express so fully in prayer even (especially if our prayer is usually still and silent listening to God). Now we are reaching our real feelings, getting to our hearts and beginning to go deeper into ourselves, where God dwells and where only He can enter.
In engaging in a physical way on paper with the mysteries of God and exploring His Divine Will, we open our hearts to hear, consider and respond to all He is saying to us. This is an exercise in listening as much as expressing and considering our own thoughts.
When we develop the habit of reflective writing like this, our mind and will, our imagination, memory and our heart are all awoken and opened up by God to His divine action in our life, even if it seems like we're just scribbling!
Of course there's nothing to say that our expression can't take other forms. There are lots of other creative ways to engage with the many thoughts and inspirations that come to us in prayer. Each of us must find our own path in this regard. The important thing is that it makes sense to you, that you can refer back to it over time and that you are able to chart your journey on the pilgrimage.
A few alternative suggestions:
Poetry, drawing, diagramming, voice recording, painting, song, a dialogue between yourself and Jesus, a letter, or a mixture of all of the above.
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