“We ought not to READ the scriptures, but listen to them, for our Beloved is present and speaks to us through them. (vs. it being like a love letter sent to us from afar).”
"We ought not to read the scriptures, but listen to them, for our Beloved is present and speaks to us through them. (vs. it being like a love letter sent to us from afar)." - Basil Pennington
Basil Pennington, a prominent figure in the Christian contemplative prayer movement, emphasizes the importance of not just reading the scriptures, but also listening to them as a means of communication with God. By comparing the scriptures to a love letter from a beloved, Pennington underscores the personal and intimate nature of the relationship between individuals and their faith. This quote serves as a reminder to approach scripture with a receptive and attentive attitude, open to the messages and guidance that can be found within its pages.
In today's fast-paced world, it can be easy to skim through texts, including sacred scriptures. However, Basil Pennington encourages us to shift our mindset and approach scripture with a sense of presence and connection in mind. By listening to the words of scripture as if our Beloved is speaking directly to us, we can find a modern relevance in the age-old wisdom and guidance they offer. This perspective encourages a deeper engagement and connection with the text, allowing us to derive more meaning and insight from the scriptures in our daily lives.
In considering Basil Pennington's perspective on how we should approach the scriptures as listening to our Beloved speaking to us, rather than just reading a distant love letter, it prompts us to reflect on our personal experience with scripture. Here are a few questions to consider:
How do you typically approach reading the scriptures - as a passive act of reading words on a page, or as an active listening experience where you expect to hear from God?
Have you ever felt a sense of presence or connection with God while engaging with the scriptures? If so, how did that impact your understanding of the passage you were reading?
What changes might you need to make in your approach to reading the scriptures in order to cultivate a deeper sense of listening and presence with God?
“Through reading literature we can make ghosts speak to us, and we can speak back to them.”
“Let us each day search from the scriptures and from the prophets…. The scriptures that are never read will never help us. If read, the words of God will nourish our souls and carry us to great heights in our endeavors.”
“We do not find happiness by being assertive. We don't find happiness by running over people because we see what we want and they are in the way of that happiness so we either abandon them or we smash them. The Scriptures don't teach us to be assertive. The Scriptures teach us—and this is remarkable—the Scriptures teach us to be submissive. This is not a popular idea.”
“Even in the greatest afflictions, we ought to testify to God, that, in receiving them from his hand, we feel pleasure in the midst of the pain, from being afflicted by Him who loves us, and whom we love.”
“Psychoanalysis is often about turning our ghosts into ancestors, even for patients who have not lost loved ones to death. We are often haunted by important relationships from the past that influence us unconsciously in the present. As we work them through, they go from haunting us to becoming simply part of our history.”