A Single Thing
In our Spiritual Formations class we have been practicing different disciplines. Two weeks ago we practiced Lectio Divina. This form of prayer has you read the biblical text —or some other spiritual writing— a few times over, paying attention to what lines or words or feelings speak to you. For some reason, I felt drawn to a book of poems I own by Rilke. His collection, The Book of Hours: Love Poems to God, is one of my favorites. It's full of joyful reflections and heartbreaking laments. It is painfully honest and cuts to the heart of our longing for God. I flipped through the book until I came to "Ich Bete wieder, du Erlauchter." I must have read it out loud ten or twelve times, each time with more conviction than the last. I thought I would share it with you; in the hopes it will bring you solace. "I am praying again, Awesome One. You hear me again, as words from the depths of me rush toward you in the wind. I’ve been scattered in pieces, torn by conflict, moc...