Stuck at the Beginning

“May it please his Majesty that I not get stuck at the beginning forever.” Teresa of Avila, The Book of My Life (1562)

My centering prayer scripture reading for today was John 14:23: “Those who love me will be true to my word, and Abba God will love them; and we will come to them and make our dwelling place with them.” I often chose my sacred word from the text of the day, so today I chose “dwelling place.” I found “dwelling place” helped me move away from my thoughts and into a deeper peace.

Throughout the twenty-minute sit, whenever my mind would wander away from my sacred word, I would bring myself gently back to “dwelling place.” All my worries, all my distractions became part of “dwelling place,” where I am with God, where God is with me. Everything is “dwelling place,” and I can rest there for a long, long time during prayer and afterwards as I go about my daily tasks.

Teresa says, “May it please his Majesty that I not get stuck at the beginning forever.” Her prayer is the prayer of many pilgrims, myself included. Today a tiny bit of progress came my way and I am glad to report it. If we stick with our prayer habits, we will become more aware of God’s presence in our lives, that “dwelling place” we share minute by minute. Thanks be to God.