Every day we meet in the quietness of the study, before my husband wakes . And I love this hour. There I have learnt to quietly breathe in His presence and breathe out whatever fears, or tensions or worries I have. I have learnt to ‘let go’ those things which have caused me great grief, but which I could not change. I have learnt, in this place, that prayer for others can be a great help and blessing for them.
I know that when I take the time to be still before God, it is like opening the door to my soul and inviting Him in. It is through this time I have deepened self-understanding, and the capacity to grow in loving God, myself, and others.
Like many seekers I have a bookcase full of inspiring spiritual works by great teachers; yet I often find myself hunting for a little battered booklet I own called ‘ Contemplative Prayer’ A Guide for Today’s Catholic by Father James Borst - (Ligourie Publishers).
This booklet describes what contemplative prayer is, and why and how we should practice it. The table of contents lists it as the prayer of Jesus and Mary which promotes relaxation in God’s Presence; fosters nonviolence of heart and mind, leads to transformation of personality, helps to discover one’s true self, and strengthens prayer and community life.
Contemplative prayer has a lot going for it!
But why such a strange title to this piece - The God of the Rice-cooker and Mystical Delights?’ It is because this God loves to surprise me. If you have never been to the Press Book store in Hunter Street Newcastle, take a look. They sell pre-loved books, usually of good quality. I visited last week with my grand-daughter where a book, ‘Mystical Delights’ by Hilary Huttner jumped out at me.
Browsing through it I almost cried with relief at finding a book which described poetry as mystical language. Poetry is something I occasionally write but mostly neglect, and this book was such a gift to me, as I read part of William Blakes’ Poem - Auguries of Innocence:
‘To see a World in a grain of sand,
And a Heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour. ……….
And the rice-cooker? Well my old one had reached its use-by-date. Walking with a friend through a Lifeline op shop, there was a brand new Russell and Hobbs Rice cooker for $30.00.
My everyday God.