Author: Jay Forrest

Christmas time can be hard for us hermits. For many of us, we have families that want us to come over and “be social.” So we feel obligated to make an appearance.

I am lucky, I work a job where I work Monday through Friday, even on holidays. I can’t make it to those social occasions because I am working the swing shift.

But I know that others have no family and might feel lonely during this season. That is okay. Let that feeling draw you closer to the Good Shepherd. It is, after all, His coming that we are celebrating.

Instead of thinking of Christmas as a time celebrating the coming of Christ in manger in Bethlehem, think of it as the coming of Christ into the manger of your heart.

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Scriptural Basis

Many people do not realize that this request for Mary to pray for us is mostly derived directly from Scripture. The bulk comes from two verses in the Gospel of Luke.

The angel Gabriel… came to her [Mary] and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:27-28 RSVCE).

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Luke 1:41-42 RSVCE).

Mother of God

I don’t think anybody would have a problem with Mary being called holy. But I suspect that my Protestant brothers and sisters will take issue with the phrase “mother of God.” Yet Jesus was “God” (John 1:1, 14), and Mary was His “mother.” Therefore, Mary is the mother of God.

Mary’s divine motherhood, according to the early church, refers only to the human begetting of the Son of God, not to his divine birth. Calling Mary the mother of God, or Theotokos in Greek, became more widespread during the third century. Church father Origen, in about 254 A.D., was the first on record to apply this title to Mary. It was proclaimed as a dogma of the Church at the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D.

Heavenly Intercession

Another problem for Protestants may be the “pray for us” part. But when the Bible says “we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,” it is talking about the saints in heaven (Heb. 12:1). If they can watch us and hear us, they can also pray for us (Rev. 5:8). For “He is God not of the dead but of the living” (Matt. 22:32).

So you are simply asking Mary to “pray for” you. You are not praying to Mary as if she was the source of grace, but as an intercessor. Just like you ask people at church to pray for you. If you don’t want to ask for her prayers, don’t. You can always go directly to God.

There are many different ways that one might practice contemplation. Here, I offer the one that I use.

It’s based on Eastern Orthodox spirituality, from a book called The Way of a Pilgrim. The author is anonymous. The book says:

“When drawing the air in I look in spirit into my heart and soul, ‘Lord Jesus Christ,’ and when breathing out again, I say, ‘Have mercy on me.”

The Basic Method

The key point is that as you breathe in, you say, “Lord Jesus Christ.” Then as you breathe out, you say, “Have mercy on me.” Elder Joseph the Hesychast teaches the same method.

There are two ways to “say” this. One is to whisper it, the other is to use the voice in your head. The inner voice.

This prayer is called the Jesus Prayer. The short form, which I use, is “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” The spiritual tradition that uses this is called Hesychasm. I am merely a student of this great tradition.

Sit Down

I sit in a comfortable position. I lay my right hand on my left hand. I then close my eyes, and pray this prayer. I focus on the sensation of the breath coming in and going out of my nose. Try not to visualize anything.

This helps me calm my mind and let the dirt of distractions settle. Slowly things become clear, calm, and a serenity settles upon me. Then I am “still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him” (Ps. 37:7).

You cannot create the presence of God, the awareness of His presence is a gift of grace. But He is present whether you are aware of Him or not. Don’t seek the consolations, seek God alone.

“We all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory” (2 Cor. 3:18 NIV).

To contemplate means to behold, to look, to gaze. The word glory refers to “God’s manifest presence.” Here we see two parts, we contemplate and God manifests.

Acquired Contemplation

According to St. Theresa of Avila, contemplation has two parts. The first is the stilling of the mind in order to be able to be aware of the presence of God. This part is called acquired contemplation. It is something that we do. It is up to us to still the mind.

Imagine that the mind is like a little mud puddle. When the mud puddle is stirred, you cannot see clearly in it. But once the water settles, the water becomes pure, and then you can see in it. The same is true of the mind.

Infused Contemplation

The second part of contemplation is the manifest presence of God. This is called infused contemplation. This part is something that God does. For God to reveal Himself in us is an act of undeserved kindness that we cannot earn or cause. It is a grace given by God.

Contemplation includes both parts. The stilling and the manifesting. Stilling is our job, the manifesting is up to God.

Remember that contemplation, more than anything, is a relationship. Relationships cannot be manipulated, they must be cultivated. And they are cultivated by spending time together.

I think Fr. Stockton hit on a truth. He wrote in an article for the Australia journal Compass Theology Review the following:

“It became clear that there is a natural affinity between certain types of prayer and a certain style of life. There are stages or levels of mysticism where one is alone with God anyway and a person tends to enframe that in a mode of living.”

I think that hits on a deep truth that I have also realized. How.you pray molds how you live. Solitary prayer leads to a solitary life. Nothing could be more normal.

I find that being around people distracts me from the inner stillness, where I can sense the presence of God. It is not a feeling as much as an awareness. Not so much a knowing as a seeing.

Those called and ready to embrace solitude will find that solitude is not so much a discipline as a joy. There is an inner thirst for God, to be in His presence and be aware of His movings. It is a hermit’s greatest honor and their life’s passion.