My sisters and brothers, today’s podcast is about God’s Calling us, and our podcast song is ‘Here I Am Lord’. I know you also must have heard other songs with that same title. There’s two beautiful ones I can think of which I’ve heard sung in church, one is by Dan Schutte and the other is by Michael Ward, (no, no relation to me, that I know of). You may have also heard sermons or teachings, or Scripture readings with the words here I am, in them. The Bible has many Scripture verses with them.
One day many years ago during the silence of my centering prayer, which led me into contemplative prayer, I heard soft Whispers Calling to me. Sometimes I would hear, ‘my small one’, sometimes the Whispers would say, ‘my little one’, sometimes ‘my child’, or ‘my own, or daughter, or friend, or my name sheila’, but no matter how the Whispers would Call out to me, I would answer, here I am Lord. Then, God’s presence and action truly would bring me into an un-awareness of anything outside my own being. These prayers are truly so powerful. I have been praying Centering Prayer for a very long time, ever since my Spiritual Directors, Father Bill McCathy and Sister Bernadette Sheldon taught me this way of praying. Centering Prayer is a Christian silent prayer that prepares oneself into contemplative prayer. During this prayer, you receive and experience God’s presence deep within you, deeper than breathing and even deeper than consciousness itself, for you are truly and clearly aware of everything taking place within you, while at the same time you are also unaware of anything outside your own body, you become enveloped into a truly mystic experience. Oh how I longed for these to never end. During this Contemplative prayer, I experienced in the deepest part of me, singing prayers to the Lord, and hearing the beginning creation of my song, ‘Here I Am Lord’. In this song, I am longing for that oneness with God. My friends, Meditate on the Word of God daily, talk to Him in your prayers. Listen for His soft Whispers in the silence of your prayers. Breathe in and out the Holy Name of Jesus. This practice will bring you into deeper relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Amen.
