Andrew Lapetina

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Month: February 2021

Meditation is Revelatory

February 25, 2021 / / 1 Comment

Across Christian denominations and traditions, there is tremendous diversity in practice and dogma. But most Christians believe that the Lord has a plan for each of us, and that the Lord wants to communicate with us. Meditation is an incredibly powerful vehicle for this, but many Christians do not engage in this practice (though surprisingly many do!).

John Main’s meditation instructions are a simple and beautiful way to start meditating. The effort is in continuously returning to the mantra, “Maranatha”, which translates to “Come, Lord”. What I would like to focus on here is a particular phrase which is important to those who are beginning to meditate and often overlooked, “If thoughts or images come, these are distractions at the time of meditation“.

Thoughts or images always come to mind. And they are distractions, but during the time of meditation. When you are new to this practice, explicitly return to your mantra from your distractions during your meditation, but after your designated time for meditating, try to write them down. Some will be trivial such as hunger, some will be recurring, and some might be enlightening or revelatory. This should not be a stressful activity of recollection, but rather a reflective activity which reveals what occupies our subconcious throughout the day. You may just find it helps you be a better Christian.

How to Start Meditating

February 23, 2021 / / 2 Comments

Ahhhh the classic how to meditate post. There are thousands of these on the internet, much like there are thousands of how to exercise posts and videos. I will advocate two principles before pointing to the details.

-Meditation is like exercise, there are varying levels of complexity from simple jogging to Olympic lifts. If you have never exercised in years, no one should advocate you start doing weighted squats and clean and jerks. Just start with a brief jog.

-That said, jogging for 2 hours is a very tough workout, for most anyone. The duration we try to meditate is analogous to the number or repetitions one does of a workout. So, take it easy with about 10 minutes per day to start, and ramp up. Most monastic religious do between 20 minutes to one hour of silent prayer per day. Some do much more.

Because of these two principles, I suggest using John Main’s “How to meditate in 128 words.” It is super simple, super effective, and can explode with insights. I don’t want to describe it, since he deserves the attention and praise, but I will discuss and offer commentary.

Personally, it is not my favorite way to meditate, but that is okay. Jogging is definitely not my favorite exercise, but I do it. When I lead a small group, we do John Main’s practice to start. It is revelatory, beneficial, and community building. I will explore each of those themes in future posts.

What is a mellow Christian heart?

February 22, 2021 / / 0 Comments

As alluded to in an earlier post, the main purpose of this blog is to provide, catalog, and analyze resources intended to help people develop mellowness of heart. Rolheiser describes it in his book, The Holy Longing, and provides an anecdote that illustrates the dangers of lacking one.

Indeed, much of spiritual and religious writing, particularly Christian writing, focuses on what virtues or aspirations are not, rather than a positive view of what constitutes them (love is not giving in all the time, peace is not the absence of conflict, joy is not simply being happy all the time). So, here we will have a go at what a mellow Christians heart is, then let us consider what it is not.

We all know a person with a mellow heart- she has a healthy indifference to outcomes, and a liberation from things out of her control. The mellow hearted person is not always gleeful, but does not wallow in boogeymen of negativity or fear.

The Scriptural contrast of course, is hardness of heart. Introduced in the Old Testament in Psalm 95, and echoed in Hebrews, the hard heart hears the voice of God, but does not open up to this voice. The hard (or bitter) heart is cloaked in disbelief that God will take care of the “problems” of this life. Further, it is uninterested in exploring other perspectives or options, or opening up the mind to broader, more loving possibilities. The bitter heart is closed, is confined, and is not eager to open.

Consequently, this blog is intended to address this mellowness matter. His other three foundations are personal and private morality, community, and a labor for social justice. Ample resources exist to help Catholics and Christians explore these aspects of living their faith. While relatively few Christians I have met believe their personalities or mindsets have malleability, meditative practice can lead one to a more mellow outlook in heart and mind. And, if we trust Rolheiser’s analysis, this is paramount to spreading the good news here on earth.

Introduction to the Mellow Christian Heart

February 10, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Presently there is vastly too much media to consume online, so explaining why a new writing space is necessary should be required.

Ronald Rohlheiser, in his beautiful 1999 book The Holy Longing, identified 4 non-negotiable essentials to a Christian, spiritual life. They were: private prayer and morality, social justice, mellowness of heart, and community. Vast tracts exist to assist Christians in developing private morality, social justice, and community, but I believe there is a dearth of collected wisdom, writings, and focus on assisting Christians discover and develop their mellow hearts. And while my personal development of this has been important and valuable, I feel compelled to share this with others in the hopes that they might build this dimension of their spiritual lives.

Here you will find short essays, meditations, and book reviews containing wisdom to assist you in developing a mellow Christian heart.

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