The Prayer of Passive Love

The Action of the Spirit Within

Aug 6, 2005

Saying For Today: This is a resting in Love, even while we cannot grasp the content of ways of Grace working deep in mind and heart, transforming the will spontaneously to respond to the wooing of the Inner Christ, even when the response is simply to be.

The Jesuit William Johnston, in “Arise My Love…”, writing of mysticism for today, speaks of a stage of having awakened to Love. Here, the person in meditation becomes “increasingly passive—just waiting, doing nothing, allowing the Spirit to act.” Or, “she may enter the prayer of quiet, a form of contemplation in which the upper layer of the psyche runs wild with all kinds of distractions, while the deeper layer quietly enjoys the sense of divine presence.”

Here, one has evolved in meditation to a deep experience of letting go. Earlier, she may have been taught to let go of thoughts. Now, she is to let go of letting go of thoughts.

The experience described by Johnston is a joyful experience of the mysterious, inner Work of the Spirit. In Love, as we meditate, we can make the mistake of trying to calm the surface of the psyche, when we need to let the surface be turbulent. We let the surface remain turbulent, when we experience this deep, inner repose in Christ. This is a resting in Love, even while we cannot grasp the content of ways of Grace working deep in mind and heart, transforming the will spontaneously to respond to the wooing of the Inner Christ, even when the response is simply to be.

However, this stage, generally, is something we have to grow into. Initially, our will to know and control, as well as our lack of being comfortable with the inner mystery of God’s Work in the soul, blocks this loving, passive receptivity. Only after a long time of practicing meditation, can one expect to be consistently experiencing this Passive Prayer of Love. The joy of this intimacy waits, however, she who is faithful in prayer and meditation, being transformed to let go of resistance to the mystery of the inner Work.

The will is being transformed into the Will of the Inner Spirit. And, paradoxically, the growing strength of the will manifests in its experience of emptiness before the Fullness of Grace.

This is a reason meditation, as understood by the mystics, is not self-hypnosis or relaxation exercise. Rather, meditation, as understood by mystics of the religious traditions, is a means of dissolving the resistance of the ego-self, what St. Paul called sarx (translated, often, and unfortunately, “flesh”), so that one in passive love can rest, cooperating in affective surrender to the Mysterious Action transforming and healing the Person at deep levels and in calm and quiet.

Spiritual Exercise

1. What kind of trust would be required for a person to grow into the experience of the Prayer of Passive Love?
2. How might the Prayer of Passive Love challenge cultural notions of personal control?
3. How can human activity and rational activity block the mysterious inner Work of the Spirit?
4. Why do most persons in our culture resist solitude and silence?
5. Can you describe ways the sarx attempts to block your open, passive receptivity to the inner Work of Christ within you?
6. Would you be interested in growing into the joy of this passive openness to Love in your daily prayer life? If so, are you willing to seek teaching or spiritual direction to learn more about meditation in your religious tradition?
7. Johnston speaks of two levels of religion: the cultural superstructure and the mystical core. What do you think he might mean by these terms? Which level do you think one experiences in the Passive Prayer of Love?

Prayer

Spirit of Christ, teach me to trust that I am safe in surrendering, opening, to your inner Work, even while I am not aware of what you are doing. Grant me Grace to let go of my will and intellect in prayer, releasing the need to control and understand. Teach me this loving passiveness in surrender to Your Grace. Amen.

OneLife Ministries is a pastoral outreach and nurture ministry of the First United Methodist Church, Fort Meade, FL. For Spiritual Direction, Pastoral Counseling, spiritual formation workshops, Christian meditation retreats, or more information about OneLife, write Rev. Dr. Brian K. Wilcox at briankwilcox@comcast.net.