At our Wednesday Prayer experience last week, we used our hour of prayer to explore compassion as a form of prayer.
Because Lent is a time of introspection (actually, when is our spiritual life NOT a time of introspection?) we spent a little time contemplating what obstacles stand between us and the compassionate people we want to be as Christ-followers.
I am including here the meditation guide we used. I invite you to pray through these. We spent about 5 minutes contemplating each one, reading it twice during that time. You may even want to journal your responses. Sometimes God's voice comes through the pen to the paper and we discover wonderful things.
Let me know what happens for you.
The Seven Deadly Sins--PAGGLES (Wikipedia, “The Seven Deadly Sins”)
Pride
In almost every list pride, or hubris, is considered the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins, and indeed the ultimate source from which the others arise. It is identified as a desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to acknowledge the good work of others, and excessive love of self (especially holding self out of proper position toward God).
God of grace, show me where pride is standing between you and me. Teach me the difference between humility and humiliation. Show me how to be humble, but not self-abasing.
God--how is my pride preventing me from being the compassionate person you call me to be?
Anger
This is historically considered to be the desire to seek revenge outside of the workings of the justice system (vigilantism), but is also generally wishing to do evil or harm to others. Collecting resentments is sometimes considered to be part of anger, sometimes part of envy.
God of grace, show me where anger is standing between you and me. Teach me how to stand up for myself without becoming angry. Teach my how to work for justice with a “holy anger” rather than a sinful anger.
God--how is my anger preventing me from being the compassionate person you call me to be?
Greed
Greed, also known as avarice or covetousness, is, like lust and gluttony, a sin of excess. It is spending our energy trying to get more things, influence or power. "Avarice" is more of a blanket term that can describe many other examples of greedy behavior. These include disloyalty, deliberate betrayal.
God, show me where greed is standing between you and me. Which of my “appetites” is driving my hunger and obscuring my real “need”? Teach me to see my appetites as a longing for you. Show me how to feed my hunger for you.
God--how is my greed preventing me from being the compassionate person you call me to be?
Gluttony
Depending on the culture, it can be seen as either a vice or a sign of status. Where food is relatively scarce, being able to eat well might be something to take pride in. But in an area where food is routinely plentiful, it may be considered a sign of self-control to resist the temptation to over-indulge.
Medieval church leaders took a more expansive view of gluttony, arguing that it could also include an obsessive anticipation of meals, and the constant eating of delicacies and excessively costly foods. CS Lewis includes constantly inconveniencing others with our particular preferences to be a form of this sin.
God, show me where gluttony is standing between you and me. When is my gluttony disguised as something else?
God-how is my gluttony preventing me from being the compassionate person you call me to be?
Lust
Lust or lechery is usually thought of as excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature. Aristotle's criterion was excessive love of others, which therefore rendered love and devotion to God as secondary.
God, show me how my lust is standing between you and me. God, show me where I am overly dependent on the love of others, the approval of others.
God--how is my lust preventing me from being the compassionate person you call me to be?
Envy
Greed is largely associated with material goods, where as envy may apply more generally. Those who commit the sin of envy resent that another person has something they perceive themselves as lacking, and wish the other person to be deprived of it.
God, where is my envy standing between you and me? When do I sin against others by wanting them not to have something so I can have it? When do I sin against others by wanting them to be deprived so I can feel better about myself? When do I sin against you by wanting things I don’t need.
God--how is my envy preventing me from being the compassionate person you call me to be?
Sloth
The belief that things should come easily, that our lives should have no difficulties. Indifference to the difficulties of others. Unwillingness to work hard for what we want. The failure to utilize one's talents and gifts.
God, where is my laziness standing between you and me? Help me know when you are calling me to rest and when you are calling me to work. Help me avoid just being busy. Help me stay encouraged to do your work.
God--how is my sloth preventing me from being the compassionate person you call me to be?
