If we speak of an experience of God, it is about how we realised an accompanying presence in our life and the impact of that presence in different walks of our life. A God experience or message and guidance from God does not happen in abstract, it is always in relation to our life context. What we think about God and our relation to God are intimately related to our common living, work, and habits. A spiritual feeling is very much filled with the demands of life, struggles and joys of life. They make the meaning, taste and fragrance to our religious imagination (here 'religious' does not mean anything to do with a religious custom or practice). Spiritual inspirations are an outcome of realisation of grace within the deep experiences, at times of strength and at times of strain. These encounters form deep and meaningful spiritualities. If we lose the taste of life, it is because we have separated the occupational and living context from their deeper involvement. Has farming land, fishing boat, lawyer court, administrative office, hospital, school or college, a building site, computer cab, space shuttle... got something to do with God experience? Or rather, do both our work and our life become too professional?
Awareness of a context, or an intense need alone cannot bring about a lasting and convincing experience. It asks for genuine reflection though it might be within a constant restlessness. The restlessness is not because life is a crisis or a misery, but because life does take its course between comfort and distress, joys and sorrows, anxieties and hopes, excitement and disappointment, moaning and celebrations. So the reflection also involves recognising the presence of Christ along the life path. It opens our eyes and ears that we could add values to and within our lives and what we do. What happens is a gradual transformation of ourselves.
Awareness of a context, or an intense need alone cannot bring about a lasting and convincing experience. It asks for genuine reflection though it might be within a constant restlessness. The restlessness is not because life is a crisis or a misery, but because life does take its course between comfort and distress, joys and sorrows, anxieties and hopes, excitement and disappointment, moaning and celebrations. So the reflection also involves recognising the presence of Christ along the life path. It opens our eyes and ears that we could add values to and within our lives and what we do. What happens is a gradual transformation of ourselves.
Reflection, thus, will replace our life into our living environment with a new interpretation. It will provide us with significance and meaning of our life and everything of it. It is a guiding and encouraging presence, and so it offers direction to our lives. That is the personal revelatory voice from God. Revelation is a new awareness of why we are placed in a specific situation. It is through this in-depth awareness that we are made a prophet or even a messiah.
Just as there is a first moment of realisation, an encounter, of the accompanying presence of God, there is also an ongoing presence of that accompaniment. there is a bond that is born from the reflective and interpretive remembrance of this presence. It leads a way to celebration of that presence.
They are wonderful, but when do we do all these since we are struggling to find time even to live our life. We need to realise that a liveable spirituality begins from an awareness. That is why our own struggles and failures, greatness and celebrations do have something to contribute to our spirituality.
So let us consider the following:
So let us consider the following:
Who are the people who are in immediate relation to me that deserve genuine attention and care?
What are the feelings involved? Closeness, care, warmth.... distress, anger, disappointment ... because not being able to fulfil them.
In the working field --
What are some implications and significance of my work and responsibilities? What is the contribution I make to the humanity through them?
What are the feelings involved in my work, in its achievements, struggles, conflicts, interactions with boss, subordinates, in-charge ...?
In the above what are the virtues involved or the virtues to be cultivated?
Which could be some symbols we could keep as meeting point between your feelings and God's assistance in our day and night? (just as we have water, oil, lamp, flower ...)
Can I feel the presence of Christ there? (in my intimacy, romance and rivalry, in my responsibilities, work, feelings, symbols I can find) Christ cannot be absent from there because it is logos that guide them all. It doesn't give a single general suggestion to follow. In one's own working field each one will have to identify the grace and meaningfulness in a significant way.
We must take these reflections, interpretations, remembrance and celebration. Write a gospel for your house, family, office ... because God is with us.
At every walk of our life there is a salutation for us,
"Blessed are you..."
"... and blessed is your fruit."
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The religious texts show a pattern of religious behaviour of a community which had a common culture; eg., a community engaged in architecture, carpentry had a god who is a craftsman. Geography of the land also frames our imagination about the abode of gods. Ways of thinking about salvation/liberation are also within the social customs and practices. Today life has changed. A family or a village may not have a common occupation and culture. In belief systems we are in a multireligious and multicultural context.
