The Spiritual Notebook

A few weeks ago I was talking to someone who began to take notes in church.  He wasn’t a parishioner, and had learned the technique from another source.  He told me he was surprised that, after just a few weeks of practice, his wife told him she could see a difference in him, and she liked it.

Would you be willing to take a chance on that happening in your life?  This Lent we’re suggesting this as a Lenten discipline for everyone: take a notebook to church and be prepared and expectant that God will have something to say to you.  When you hear it, write it down, and then during the week go back to what you wrote.

What you write doesn’t have to be long, or profound.   It could be a phrase, or even a single word.  You simply have to expect God to have a Word for you, and to listen for it.  The key to making this work is this simple process:

1. Prepare: Read the Gospel in advance;
2. Be Present: Come to Mass early to quiet yourself and open your mind and heart for God;
3. Pray: Ask God to say something to you that will heal you and make you a better version of yourself;
4. Listen: to everything at Mass: Hymns, prayers, Scriptures, homily, intercessory prayers; fleeting interior thoughts, images, hopes, fears…
5. Write down what seems important, even if you’re not sure what it means just yet;
6. Review what you wrote during the week.

It’s as simple as that.

Here are a few examples, so you can get a sense of just how simple, direct, and potentially important this technique can be. These are actual quotes from a parishioner’s notebook:

• “The kingdom of God is at hand, repent.” “Come with me and I will make you fishers of men.” The gospel is for everyone – the church is universal – As Jesus called Simon and Andrew. Hymn – “Lord when you came – gazing into my eyes, gently smiling, calling my name.”
• “If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart.” Listen for his voice, Want to hear his voice, and Do.
• “The whole town was there.” Are you afraid to change?
• God is speaking to us. Don’t be afraid to listen. Choose to listen – Free Will. Hymn – “Come back to me with all your heart, don’t let fear keep us apart.”

Lent is a time to focus our spiritual lives.  Give this simple tool a try if you haven’t already.  Until next week, peace.