Being with My Beloved

Christian contemplation was nicely described in the talks of James Finley. http://contemplativeway.org/  First let's consider some Christian contemplative beliefs:

• We are always already in a beautiful intimate relationship with God, the beloved. God is infinitely beyond us and the very ground of our existence and the existence of all that exists.

• We do not know this.

• Sometimes in a precious peak experience God blesses us with a partial reflection of a part of her overwhelmingly beautiful face. This experience might come from being in nature, being with another- holding a baby or being in our loved ones arms, being alone without addictive escapes or props, times of great anguish, times of great joy, or times of service. We can not make this occur. God chooses when to bless us with her presence.

• This brief glimpse of our beloved gives us the desire to want to be with her as fully and as often as possible.

• We begin our practice by using thoughts and images in meditation. We have an internal dialogue based on a short reading of scripture. For example we might reflect on the passage; The Lord is my Shepard. I shall not want.

• When our meditations with thoughts and images and our dependence on thoughts and images in relation to the world cease to attract us we might be ready for Christian contemplation.

  To Be With My Beloved

  She came to me like a lightning flash in the dark.

  All I could see was her brief  light on the now dark landscape.

  This was enough to bring me to my knees, shaking from her extreme beauty.

  I know not your intentions for me.

  But I would give my all to be with you even for just

  One more brief flash of time.

  One more brief flash of light.

  One more brief flash of perfect love.

  Oh to be with my beloved.