獨處與靜默的操練

《灵修神学》
課程內容‎
靈程日誌的持續‎
什麼是靈修？‎
為何現代人熱衷靈修？‎
四種屬靈的型態‎
靈修的類型‎‎
屬靈之旅‎‎
以禱告來回應神‎‎
獨處與靜默的操練‎‎‎
等候的靈修:等候神‎‎‎
屬靈操練—默想式的讀經‎‎‎
回顧禱告‎‎‎
真正的屬靈人‎‎‎
放慢腳步的操練‎‎‎

一. 序言

二. 靈程中與神連結的障礙

A. 個人與文化中的過度忙碌

B. 過度的噪音 “Most modern life is a studied attempt to avoid ever being alone.” (Morton Kelsey, Silence, p. 96.) “It is so hard to be silent, silent with my mouth, but even more, silent with my heart.” (Henri Nouwen) “It is impossible to gain proficiency in meditation and prayer while a multitude of distraction is dragging the soul about and introducing into it anxieties about the affairs of this life.” (St. Basil, quoted by Magill and McGreal, Christian Spirituality, p. 26)

三. 獨處與靜默的需要

A. 以了解自己與神

B. 禁戒嗜慾的操練

C. 靜默與獨處

四. 獨處

A. 獨處是促使人敞開內心接受神的一種內在安靜的狀態. “Solitude is like a body of water at ease--not a stream or a wave-whipped lake but a reflecting pone. When allowed to settle the sediment in the water falls to the bottom making clear sight possible.” (Charles Olson, Christian Century, 12/9/81, p. 1286)

詩131:2, 賽3015, 哈2:20, 亞2:13 “Even when we are not called to the monastic life . . . We are still responsible for our own solitude . . . We have to fashion our own desert when we are withdraw every day, shake off our compulsions, and dwell in the gentle, healing presence of our Lord . . . With such a spiritual abode, we will become increasingly conformed to him in whose name we minister.” (Nouwen, Way of the Heart, pp. 30-31.)

B. 獨處的目標 “Whoever is resolved to live an inward and spiritual life must, with Jesus, withdraw from the crowd.” (Thomas A Kempis, Imitation of Christ, p. 42) “The discipline of solitude . . . Is one of the most powerful discipline in developing a prayerful life. It is a simple, thought not easy, way to free us from the slavery of our occupations and preoccupation and to begin to hear the voice that makes all things new.” (Nouwen, Making All things New, p. 75)

“Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude we remain a victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusion of the false self . . . It is the place where Christ remodels us in His image and free us from the victimizing compulsion of the world.” (Nouwen, Way of the Heart, pp, 25, 32)

C. 獨處常是從群眾退到一安靜之地

五. 靜默

A. 定義：控制個人的言語以專心聆聽神 “Jesus will stay with you as long as you are humble and quiet in your spirit.” (Thomas a’ Kempis)

1. 靜默很難 2. 在靜默中我們往內看 3. 在靜默中我們開始聆聽

The 12 Grades of Silence Speak little with creatures and much with God Silence at work and in exterior movements Silence of the imagination Silence of the memory Silence of creature Silence of the heart The silence of human nature Silence of the mind Silence of judgments Silence of the will Silence with oneself Silence with God

4. 靜默是神的啟示之一 “He waits on the Word of God in silence, and when he is ‘answered,’ it is not much by a word that bursts into his silence. It is by his silence itself suddenly, inexplicably revealing itself to him as a word of great power, full of the voice of God.” (Merton, Contemplative Prayer, p. 90)

B. 靜默操練的四個目標

1. 減少自私的自我 “The function of silence is to slow the ego down, to let self-centeredness fade out so that the larger self can take over and be moved by God’s grace.” (Kelsey, Other Side of Silence, p. 100).

2. 勒住舌頭 “I have often repented of having spoken, but never of having remained silent.” (Cited by Nouwen, Way of the Heart, p. 43)

3. 聆聽神 “We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature--tree, flower, grass--grow in silence. See the stars, the moon and sun, how they move in silence. . The more we [hear and] received in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life. We need silence to touch souls.” (Mother Teresa quoted in Demarest, Satisfy Your Soul, p. 128.)

4. 說話有智慧和力量 “No man safely speaks but he who willingly holds his peace.” (Thomas a’ Kempis, Imitation of Christ, p. 42) “If a person wishes to speak well he must learn to be silent.” (Johann Arndt, True Christianity, p. 121)

六. 總結

   獨處創造一個供靜默的環境, 而靜默創造聆聽神的環境.

   獨處→→→靜默→→→聆聽→→→順服

“Silence is a way to make solitude a reality . . . It completes and intensifies solitude . . . Silence is solitude practiced in action.” (Nouwen, Way of the Heart, p. 44)

七. 練習安靜下來

A. 這是件難事

B. 也會是件痛苦的事

C. 藉天然本能的練習可以獲致心靈的安靜

1. 專注於呼吸 2. 專注於耶穌基督