"Making and Preserving Inner Peace", by Rev. Loretta Ross

...there is a pervasive form of contemporary violence to which...we easily succumb: activism and overwork. The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence. To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything is to succumb to violence.

Thomas Merton

As a pastor and spiritual director I am familiar with the violence Merton describes. The rush and pressure of our consumer and consuming culture, the dizzy pace of change, the drive to possess status, wealth, and power leave many feeling violated by the world around us. Violence may be the grim imposition of my will upon another or some other more subtle assault. The result of violence is violation: something good, holy, blessed becomes tainted, profaned, abused. We may feel resentful, burdened, angry, and despairing.

Fortunately, there are many ways to temper the human tendency for violence, not the least of which is just sitting still for a while in simple appreciation of the world streaming before us in all its complexity, terror and beauty. Meditation, yoga, tai chi, gardening, music, art, prayer are some of the ways we step back from the noise and center our souls in a Will and a Way larger, wiser and more merciful than our own.

Another increasingly popular way of helping us stop the violence within and around us is the ancient practice of spiritual direction. Spiritual teachers, mentors, rabbis, gurus, or guides, who work with individuals to deepen their faith and understanding, are part of many faith traditions. Sometimes parents provide this training. Susannah Wesley, the wife of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, spent one half hour each week with each of her eleven children to talk about matters of soul.

When is the last time someone sat down with you to inquire after the health of your soul? To whom are we accountable for our relationship with the Great Powers of the Universe? What is the connection between developed faith and our efforts for peace and justice in the world? What if someone educated in the psychological aspects of spiritual growth and the stages of faith listened carefully to your journey with compassion and understanding?

In offering others spiritual guidance for over 25 years, I have met with young moms, CEOs, elderly folks, seekers, GenXers, religious professionals, farmers, teachers, psychiatrists, missionaries, and persons comprising a crazy quilt of varied faiths and denominations. People seek guidance for a number of reasons. Some feel called to more… to deeper relationship with God, to more peace, abundance and joy, to greater love and self giving. Others ask how to tell the difference between their will and God’s will. A young woman comes bearing wounds from the violence perpetrated by a religious institution and its pastor. A middle aged man arrives at a place of impasse in his life, where he feels things cannot continue as they are, yet he has no idea where to turn. A thoughtful woman is unwilling to settle for pat, shallow answers to her questions of faith. Often, persons in positions of power and authority over others in the area of faith, want to be accountable about their own growth, and clear about not imposing their issues on those they have been entrusted to serve.

These are some of the reasons why persons seek out a professionally trained spiritual guide these days. In my experience most persons have in some way been called or summoned to this disciplined attention to the presence of God in their lives for a larger purpose, not always immediately apparent. As their journey unfolds the purpose revealed has to do with relieving the suffering, oppression, and injustice that feed the violence of this world. The Holy One summons us to holy ground and the scrutiny of our souls to empower us for prophetic action, precisely because God has heard the cries of those in captivity and those who are being violated.

For further information about spiritual mentors and how to identify one who will meet your needs, see: www.sdiworld.org; www.findthedivine.com; sdiheartland.org; or contact The Sanctuary Center for Prayer and Spiritual Nurture, 1600 SW Campbell Street, Topeka, Kansas 66604, 785-354-7122 , www.fromholyground.org, lross@fromholyground.org

The Sanctuary was founded in 1987and validated by the Presbytery of Northern Kansas in 1988. It is directed by author, Rev. Loretta Ross, minister member of Presbytery of Northern Kansas, who holds the Presbyterian Church (USA) ecclesiastic designation of Spiritual Director.