Maronite Meditations

We look at the three Solomonic books (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs) as one whole, and then meditate on their message.

In our third podcast on the Song of Songs, we investigate its mystic meaning, and its teaching of love as the means to reach God.

We read the contents of the Song of Songs, and see how natural the mystic understanding of it is. We discover that the many dazzling images form one super-image of the beauty of God and the desirability of uniting with Him (in so far as is possible). The meditation takes us in this direction.

Between any sense of the presence and of the absence of God, there is not any void - love waits in hope. This nourishes our contemplation.

In our third episode on the Book of Proverbs, we ask the elusive question: what exactly is Wisdom? Then we contemplate wisdom, so as to have more of it in our lives.

Today we learn about Wisdom in the Book of Proverbs, the instrument of God created in the creation before the creation! And then we meditate upon this mystery.

We begin to read the Book of Proverbs, and examine the almost astounding meaning of the "Fear of God," and close with a contemplation to benefit from this new understanding.

In the third treatment of the Book of Ecclesiastes, we see how we can cleanse our souls in contemplation, and view the world in the light of eternity. We then attempt such a contemplation.

We explore how the Book of Ecclesiastes is true in three ways: as the testimony of King Solomon, as the teaching of Christ, and as the diary of our lives and chronicle of our times, written by the Holy Spirit before we were born. We close with contemplating the gift of life.

We now begin to meditate, like Maronites, on Scripture. We begin with the Book of Ecclesiastes, and illustrate how to meditate upon this Scriptire.

We return to the Prayer of Jesus in Latin, and deepen our understanding of the contemplative work. This is the last of our series on the Jesus Prayer.

We learn how to pray the Prayer of Jesus in Latin, using liturgical texts. This provides insights into the use of human language in divine supplication.

We continue Praying the Prayer of Jesus in Syriac, and ask: What Is the “Love of God”?            

St Isaac the Syrian said "The Soul Is a House of Prayer." We explore this, and pray the Jesus Prayer in Syriac.

We take a fuller form of the Prayer of Jesus in Syriac, and learn what each word means. We consider how to meditate upon the mysterious words of this prayer.

In this episode, we commence praying with the Prayer of Jesus in Syriac. We examine the question of the language and form of the Prayer, and see that - in the Syriac tradition - it is essentially liturgical. We then pray it one hundred in Syriac.

In episode 14 we learn why Palmer said that the Jesus Prayer is the most active spirituality possibility for us. We examine the soul, and how our "self" reflects the development of the soul. We use the Prayer, but now we are silent for 50% of the time.

We examine pitfalls for beginners (e.g. unrealistic expectations, not using other methods as well, or spending excessive time on the Jesus Prayer, or linking the breath to it). We pray it one hundred times together.

We learn how the Jesus Prayer exercises our attention and consciousness; then we pray it one hundred times.

We learn a basic form of the Jesus Prayer, and say it 100 times.

We read the Gospel, Epistles and Apocalypse (Revelation) of St John for what we have called its “super-meaning” - the entire picture which we take from these inspired texts. In the contemplative exercise, we return to draining, this time freeing the body of tiredness and the heart of negative emotion.

The first of two introductions to the Syriac understanding of scripture: that what we wish to take from the our reading is not just ideas or a doctrine based on proof-texts, but the impact of the entirety of scripture. We study how contemplation can lead to stability of body as a foundation for stability of feeling and mind.

This is the final exploration of the Our Father. We bring all our study of this prayer together. In the contemplative exercise, we continue to deepen our feeling; and add the planning of the day, so that we may have the influence of our meditation even when we are in the midst of life.

We continue our study of the Our Father, and now come to the line: “Give us this day our Supersubstantial Bread.” I explain why this is not just one possible, but the best translation of this line of the prayer. In the contemplation, we continue to add more awareness of our feeling, using the force of the air to animate, as it were, the whole person.

We continue our study of contemplation, relating it to the Our Father. We now come to the prayer "Hallowed be Thy Name," and continue to study its spiritual dimensions. In the second half, dedicated to contemplation, we add awareness of the breath, and try to deepen a feeling of contrition: being sorry for our sins because they offend God.