Praying in the "Thin Places"

The Daughters of Charity have an international publication that is internal for the reading of Daughters of Charity around the world. The majority of the publication are spiritual articles and those related to the heritage of our founders.

 

http://filles-de-la-charite.org/ our international website

 

The quotes below are from a presentation done by Fr. Patrick Griffin, CM.  He is the Director General of the Daughters of Charity--think of him as the spiritual director for the worldwide community.

 

In the presentation he spoke of how the "Scottish and Irish mystics sometimes describe a holy place as a “thin place”, “a transparent place where God comes very close.”  The excerpts below touch on prayer in those "thin places."  May you take time to ponder them in a prayerful quiet...

 

Photo from http://kimrosen.net/2012/08/30/where-poet-and-mystic-are-one/

“We often draw closer to God through someone else, perhaps it is a child or a genuinely good person or someone who is caught up in a critical situation or someone who is poor.  In these thin places, we can sense our undivided heart…” p.171

“Prayer is important in our lives; it is part of our vocations as consecrated persons and we have to be constantly deepening it.  Our undivided hearts call us to this way of expressing our closeness to our God.” P.172

“Each place where we encounter God is made holy by God’s presence.” P.173

“Places where we find God present in the midst of His people are holy and elicit from us a response of reverence and respect-removing our shoes, speaking with humility, allowing ourselves to be taught.  Holy ground is the place where we open ourselves to God’s presence, and allow God to touch our lives, and hear the call to more faithful discipleship.” P.173

“Our prayer should also begin by asking ourselves whom we are looking for.” P.175

“The Lord calls us by name and shows us the obligations that follow on from that call.  If we respond with undivided hearts which allow the Lord to be Lord we will engage in genuine conversation which is prayer.” P.175

“We are asked to recognize the One to whom we are speaking, and to recognize that we are known by God personally.  This realization should give intimacy and ease to our prayer as we are invited into a place where God comes close and invites us to intimacy with Him.  It gives consolation and resolution to our undivided heart.” P.179

“Genuine prayer flows from an interior disposition which makes God the center of our lives and the one thing necessary for us.” P. 180

Fr. Patrick Griffin, CM

A graduate of Niagara University, where he earned a B.S. in physics, Father Griffin received the M.Div. in Theology and a Th.M. in Theology from Mary Immaculate Seminary in Northampton, PA and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from The Catholic University of America.
In addition to serving on the faculty at St. John’s University , he has taught at Niagara University, Mary Immaculate Seminary, and the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, NY(from www.famvin.org).

Despite the serious looking photo, Fr. Pat has a great sense of humor and a joy-filled spirit.  To find out more about our brother community, the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) go to http://cmglobal.org/en/ (international)or http://www.vincentian.org/ (Western US) or http://www.cmeast.org/ (Eastern US).

Quotes were used with permission.