Author: Jack Sharp

Transforming Meditation: Part 1

Transforming Meditation: Part 1

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Whatever a person experiences in meditation, it is the repeated encounter with “self” in the meditative process that eventually leads to a “self-awareness” which is, at the same time, healing and transforming.  

The “turning within” leads to the encounter with the “true-self” stripped of all ideas or images of ourselves that we have developed and held over the years.  

The transformation of self is not unlike a second conversion experience at a deeper level of prayer and understanding.  I had many experiences in meditation wherein I encountered, struggled, and eventually overcame obstacles to spiritual growth.  I believe these experiences prepared me eventually to reach beyond myself to help others in their spiritual journey.

Case Study: Lydia 

The following is a case study, recorded at the time, when, after several other careers, I was in training for chaplaincy. In the nursing facility mentioned earlier, I encountered a 66-year old woman patient who, according to her daughter, had a history of depression and paranoia, but had not been previously been treated.  

Lydia, the mother, had recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor and had spoken of killing herself.  She had had a thorough psychiatric evaluation and was now medicated for depression.  She was facing an operation to remove a portion of a brain tumor and her self-image was so poor that she felt that she didn’t deserve to live.  

I learned from both her and the daughter, Cynthia, who lived out of town, that she came from an abusive childhood and, later, an abusive relationship with her former husband.  She was so weak and fearful that she could not raise her head while sitting in a wheelchair.  Her psychiatrist believed that would not survive the operation since she “no longer had a will to live.”

Lydia had been Presbyterian but had not practiced for many years and Cynthia had no formal religion.  Although the mother and daughter had spoken weekly by phone for a number of years, they had a tenuous relationship at best since the mother could never show any affection and the daughter felt duty-bound but “used” by the mother.  The daughter, recently married and resentful to be there, was in town for a two-week period leading up to the operation.

The mother had been relatively open with me about family history and the abuse that she had endured. I found her intelligent, articulate, and dependent on the daughter, but unable to function for herself.  

My intuition, experience, and very limited training told me that she was suffering from deep-seated anger, fear, inability to forgive, and loss of hope.  She was physically and spiritually depleted. I felt inadequate by training to address the myriad of psychological and spiritual problems facing the woman. 

Nevertheless, as I awoke in bed early in the morning and was meditating, as is a habit, it came to me in a moment of enlightenment what to do.  I was to prepare a spiritual care plan over four days leading up to the day of the operation.  

Please click here to link to Transforming Meditation: Part 2, Transforming Meditation: Part 3, and Transforming Meditation: Part 4

Prayer: Head to Heart

Prayer: Head to Heart

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At some point in my spiritual development, I can’t really recall when my prayer moved from my head to my heart.  It is somewhat remarkable for me, for I have always been in my head, analytical, and not given in readily to emotion.  

I expect that it has to do with meditation in drawing closer to God as God creates in us an increasing desire for God’s love.  But also, in my work with the mentally ill, I have observed that there is a darkness that frequently sits deep down inside – perhaps in the heart and soul – where anger, fear, anxiety, depression, unresolved grief, addiction, and other obstacles make it difficult to fully experience God’s love and God’s healing power.  

I do not necessarily see these obstacles as evil, rather as emotional and spiritual sickness that all of us may experience from time to time.  The problem occurs when we become “stuck” or even comfortable in our pain.  

One of the more interesting aspects of meditation is that over an extended period these illnesses are brought to the surface and into the “light” as it were.  There, we can begin the healing process through a variety of coping/healing skills.  

These skills may involve medicine, psychiatric or psychological counseling, group therapy, pastoral counseling, and various forms of prayer support as well.  I do see spiritual and emotional healing going hand in hand and, as often as not, emotional healing is inadequate without spiritual healing.  Modern medicine, especially psychiatric and psychology, can become deficient when the spiritual component is neglected.

Prayer that emanates from the heart is a much deeper, non-ritualistic form of prayer than that from the head.  It requires one to submit the will (and thought) to God, without a focus on the outcome of the prayer, even though it may be in the form of a prayer request.  It requires the person praying to open their mind and the heart to whatever comes in response or no immediate response at all.

There is a distinct feeling in prayer that emanates from the heart that lifts the spirit and includes self as well as those being prayed for in a sort of all-embracing love. 

Perhaps, it is why Paul The Apostle refers to as love and charity as being the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit.

Meditation Through Images

Meditation Through Images

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The widely popular spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius are focused on scriptural images.  (Spiritual Exercises).  Although I haven’t practiced the spiritual exercises in many years, I had some early experiences while attending retreats at a Jesuit retreat house, the White House, near St. Louis, MO.  

Under the guidance of the retreat master, I was able to experience my own death in front of a statue of Saint Joseph on the grounds.  At once, I was able to comprehend the “fear” of death, to “see” a vision of my own death, and to pass beyond into a peaceful state that was ‘filled up’ with the grace of God.  

Since that time, I have lost all fear of death and have been able to attend to others in the dying process in a hopeful and prayerful way.  Recently, an acquaintance recounted a similar experience at the White House.

Another time at the same retreat house, I was walking and praying the fourteen “Stations of the Cross” on a hillside overlooking the Mississippi River and suddenly experienced Jesus walking beside me after the fourth or fifth station.  He continued with me throughout the remainder of the stations.  

I recall now, many years later, an enlightenment of the suffering that he went through but not in a sorrowful way.  His presence was full of light and hope and peace that kept me in a state of awe for days afterward.  Even today, the “reality” of having Jesus walking beside me has not diminished.

The use of images can be most helpful especially in the early stages of meditation.  Meditation usually seems to start as an intellectual exercise.  It requires a discipline of mind that can be aided by the use of images or mantra.  

For example, a mantra, such as the name of “Jesus,” can avoid distraction or bring someone back in focus after having been distracted.  In the same way, one can “lose” oneself in an image, first as an observer and, then, as a participant. 

For almost a year, I meditated on the “Christo de Limpias” or “Christ of Tears” – a bust of Christ wearing the crown of thorns.  At first, I simply observed the image in order to concentrate my meditation and to avoid distractions. After several months, a vision occurred and I found myself on the cross, wearing the crown of thorns and entering into the suffering of Christ.  

This vision recurred daily for an extended period of time.  During this period, an awesome wonder and ecstasy took over that made me grateful to be there.  Similarly, in recent years, I have frequently experienced pain in the palms of both hands while meditating which serve to remind me of the wounds of Christ.  

In my experience, in both the uses of mantra and images, what starts as an intellectual discipline becomes a deep-felt prayer as one becomes more and more absorbed in the object of meditation.

Reflection and Meditation Through Groups: Part 2

Reflection and Meditation Through Groups: Part 2

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Meditation and reflection on scripture have been powerful tools for me as a chaplain working with groups of people in various healthcare and residential facilities and hospitals. 

In order to measure progress within the group, I developed an assessment tool that measured ten factors of participation, relationship building, and spirituality on a scale of one to ten for each factor.  

The research and writings on the aging by Richard P. Johnson, Ph.D., especially in the book 12 Keys to Spiritual Vitality were most helpful in developing an assessment tool and providing material for the groups.  An initial assessment of the group showed an overall score of 49 on a scale of 100 and, ultimately, a final score of 74, a 25 point, or 50% relative improvement overall in the factors measured.  

For example, four of the group members moved from isolation to meaningful relationships, five of the group dealt openly with long-term faith and spirituality issues, two of the members dealt with deep-seated grief issues and several took on a ministerial role toward others from their own experience relating to the issues being dealt with. 

Two members of the group died during this period and the group was able to deal with the grief and loss in a positive, even celebratory way.  Most interesting, however, were the individual stories that were shared by the participants and the ongoing relationships that the sharing fostered.  

The format of this group and other groups that I have formed has used meditation, silent prayer, reflection and sharing of scripture, and prayers of thanksgiving and petition.  

It is interesting to note and worthy of more research that common prayers and music, such as the “The Lord’s Prayer” and “Amazing Grace,” can often be said or sung in entirety by those persons that are otherwise non-responsive, aphasic, or with dementia.

Reflection and Meditation Through Groups: Part I

Reflection and Meditation Through Groups: Part I

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There are many paths to spiritual growth through various forms of prayer and community.  Similarly, there are multiple paths to a deeper spirituality through meditation.  

Meditation and reflection on scripture (e.g., Lectio Divina) is one of the earliest forms of meditation practiced in the early church and has had a resurgence in recent years through the movement named “Centering Prayer.”  This meditation can be practiced individually or in a group.  

For example, I have used a modified form of Lectio Divina in scripture prayer groups in a nursing home, the rehabilitation unit of a hospital, and more recently, in Behavioral Medicine units of several hospitals where I practice as a chaplain. The results have been remarkable as residents and patients are able to release their emotions and share their spiritual journeys with other patients.  

Initially, I decided to form a group to satisfy a research requirement for the clinical pastoral care (CPE) training that I was undergoing at a high quality, continuous care nursing home complex.  

I began with two groups, one in the assisted living facility (essentially apartment living with on-site nursing care available) and the other in a mid-level care facility where most residents were not ambulatory and required around the clock nursing care.  

In the second group, there were fifteen people with multiple health issues that will be focused on here.  The group met weekly for twenty-one weeks.  Four persons had dementia (two of these with diagnosed Alzheimer disease), five were stroke victims, four with clinical depression, six with osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, one with cancer, one with psychosis/anxiety, seven with hypertension, five with heart disease and one with neuropathy.

The need for such a group was based on my observations that residents often felt abandoned or dislocated from home, family, and friends and were isolated even though spending most of the day in common areas.  They frequently were unable to communicate or unwilling to communicate.  

A complaint often expressed by the residents was that they were being treated like children.  For example, when a resident was sick enough to be removed from their room to the hospital or died, the other residents, even the roommate, were often not told what happened.  

So, instead of receiving affirmation of their importance and relevance as human beings and given the opportunity to grieve, the remaining residents were left to look at an empty bed or room and wonder.  Although there were planned activities, the community support structure was limited and many of the residents were “stuck” emotionally and/or spiritually.  

Meditation: Early Stages

Meditation: Early Stages

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While my early mystical experiences seemed to come directly from God “out of the blue,” so to speak, meditation deepened my faith, my prayer discipline, and from time to time brought the fruits of the Holy Spirit or spiritual gifts.  

In fact, I view meditation itself as a gift. Meditation is the process of reflection that implies a certain initial action but whose object is a state or sensation of “being.” This state of “being” is an intense focus or becoming absorbed in the “now” of the object.  

For example, meditative reflection, especially in the early stages, maybe centered on objects such as symbols, images, events in scripture, an image of God, or even nothingness. 

This latter is a sort of cosmic universe described in many Eastern forms of meditation and even some Western mystics.  Initially in the process of meditation, these objects are separate or external from self.  However, as the process continues and deepens the “self” tends to become absorbed in the object.  

Meditation because it is a reflection, is a process of “turning within” oneself to fully experience the object.  In its focus, meditation attempts to eliminate all distractions to arrive at a state of relaxation without extraneous or wandering thought.  Thus, a quiet place or sacred space without noise or traffic or interruption is usually sought.  A mantra or repetitive word, or breathing exercise may be helpful to set a mood or ward off distraction. 

These aids or techniques of meditation are well documented even by those who would describe themselves as non-religious.  Many have experienced the stress-relieving and concentration benefits of meditation.  However, it is the daily encounter with “self” that is perhaps most beneficial.  

We are free to choose the objects of our meditation and I have always chosen God (and at times Christ or the Holy Spirit) as the object of my meditation.  In this choice, meditation became a daily form of prayer for me since the age of twenty-three. 

Silent Prayer – A Path to Meditation and Contemplation

Silent Prayer – A Path to Meditation and Contemplation

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Silent prayer can be defined as meditation, but a meditation focused on Mystery, God, or Higher Power.  Silent prayer is to empty ourselves of all concerns, burdens, activities, and thoughts that can distract us and let God speak to us in our hearts.  In order to set the proper tone, there can be a brief opening prayer and/or reading and reflection on a brief scriptural passage. 

Approximately 3-5 minutes of silence after the opening prayer (an individual should start at 3-5 minutes and gradually increase the time spent to 20 minutes or more as they become more practiced). 

Invariably, distractions or sleepiness will enter in.  It is important not to struggle too much against these interruptions but to allow them to pass through your consciousness until they no longer hold sway over your mind/soul.  It may take many sessions for this to occur.  A mantra (i.e., a sacred word), deep breathing, or focus on a sacred image may be helpful in overcoming distractions as well.

Note: If distraction or thoughts tend to the depressive, overly negative, or the dark side, the individual should seek help from a minister, spiritual director, or another professional counselor familiar with meditative practice and the contemplative way.

If desired, at the end of the period of silence, the individual may wish to offer prayers for others or continue with a more traditional form of prayer. It is best to continue to use other forms of prayer and ritual that the individual may be accustomed to and to integrate silent prayer with these.  Contemplative prayer can only heighten the experience of religious practice.

Prayer before meditation

  • God, I place myself in YOUR presence, to open myself to hear YOU
  • Lord, I remove all barriers that interfere with our direct relationship 
  • God, let me lose “self” and love of self in the vastness of YOUR LOVE
  • Lord, I turn within to find YOU, WHO resides at the center of my being

Short term benefits of silent prayer

  • Increased focus and concentration
  • Release from burdens and distractions
  • Calmness in crises or emotional situations
  • Adds spiritual balance to life’s activities
  • Distraction from pain and increased healing power

Long term benefits of silent prayer

  • Self-knowledge of “who I am” without deception
  • Continual renewal and contact with God (daily and in the moment)
  • Ever deepening relationship with God, growth in the personal relationship to God
  • Receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit
  • Continual sense of the peace of God’s love
  • Infused spirit of God’s love through union with God (no longer separate) – contemplation

Click to view Open Your Heart Meditation

My Calling

My Calling

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I recall the first time that I was called upon to “heal” someone through the “gift of healing.”  I was teaching an introductory computer course at a local community college at the time to a very large class of 100 students or more.  

During the course of the semester, a “vision” of one of the students came to me during meditation late at night. The vision was of me laying hands on the student’s head healing her, although I didn’t even know her name.  I found it curious but essentially dismissed it from my mind.  

However, in the next few days, the vision reappeared to me vividly twice more on different occasions during meditation.  After that, I shared my vision with my wife and also asked the student about her and her family.  She related that she was in her early thirties, with two small children, she lived in a rural area and her passion was horses. 

She told me that she had recently been diagnosed with cancer of the uterus and was to undergo surgery after the final exam of my class. Because of my visions, numbering three now, this medical knowledge sent me into a great deal of fright and questioning of my own sanity. 

I strongly resisted the idea that I could be used to heal anyone and, more likely in my mind, I was taking on a “messiah” complex. Nevertheless, I had learned to trust what I received from God in meditation, so I was struggling with a real dilemma.  The dilemma was soon resolved for me.  

As I was putting my five-year-old son to bed saying his prayers and asked that we pray for a student of mine, a woman who was sick, he said, “Did God come to you in a dream and ask you to heal her, like He came to Saint Joseph in a dream?” After this astounding word from the mouth of a babe, I could no longer deny what God was calling me to do. 

After the last class of the term, I asked the student to stay after and told her the whole story of what I had experienced and asked her if she wanted me to pray with her for healing. In an otherwise empty classroom of more than 100 seats, I prayed with her for healing and lay my hands on her head as I had seen in my visions. 

The day after the operation, I visited her in the hospital and she relayed that the surgery had gone well according to her doctor. A week or so later she stopped by my off to excitedly tell me that she was back horseback riding. 

The doctor had examined her a few days after the operation and could find no evidence that he had operated, no cancer, and could not understand her “miraculous” recovery from the operation.  He agreed that she could go immediately back to horseback riding.

Journey of Faith

Journey of Faith

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From a theological perspective, the question arises, “How do I know that my mystical experience is valid?” This question is particularly difficult for those who have been taught to rely only on the “law” or the word of scripture as valid. This question can be answered on at least two levels.  

If one believes, as Roman Catholics and some other religious persuasions do, that tradition and the living word of God are important to their faith, then it is a small step to include experience as valid.  

In my own view, learning, and experience, God continues to be revealed as we move forward in history and in the life of the individual believer as they mature in faith.

It is also my belief that as we continue through our life’s journey of faith and prayer, we go through a series of conversions toward an ever-deepening relationship with God.  

The mystic may eventually enter into that all-encompassing, all-loving embrace of God’s love, but any mystic, I believe, would still describe it as ever-changing, ever-deepening, even though focused on “being” in the presence of God. 

A second way that God is usually revealed to us is through the charisms and gifts of the Holy Spirit.  As we experience more and more of the Holy Spirit in our lives, especially in relationships with others, we come to trust our experiences.  To deny these spiritual experiences would seem to deny the Holy Spirit.  

Finding Proof

Finding Proof

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After spending two years at the United States Naval Academy as a midshipman and finding shipboard life stifling, I resigned from my commission and transferred to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. where Philosophy and Theology were part of the required curriculum at Georgetown, even for an economics major. 

 A Jesuit theologian, a lay Protestant theologian and philosopher from France, and an economics professor, who was an atheist, taught me.  Each of these persons influenced me in different ways. 

The atheist provided me contrast and clear choice to a system of intellectual knowledge versus faith and trust in a divine spirit.  The protestant taught me the discipline and flexibility of thought.  The Jesuit satisfied my intellectual need for a proof of the existence of God, along the lines of the philosophy and theology of Saint Thomas Aquinas.  

During this period, I also became aware of the fundamental truth that all human relationships were in a sense passing and that God was the only absolute truth.  

The moment that faith came to me was not dramatic, for it seemed to be there as I took instruction in the Roman Catholic faith shortly after my graduation from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.  

I do recall a moment of enlightenment when I was no
longer questioning everything intellectually and understood that truths would be revealed to me, as well as God’s will for me, as I grew in faith.  

I learned later that my conversion, similar to St. Paul’s experience, began with a mystical experience, the “blinding light” that filled my soul, and led me to a lifelong faith journey.