Jessica Daum does an excellent job at showing how to bring quiet into your hectic life not only at Advent but the rest of the year. In Parker Palmer “To Know as We Are Known – Education as a Spiritual Journey” he talks about being whole minded and how this is done by using both the heart and the mind’s eye. The mind’s eye is how we traditional approach education in the US; with the idea of more intellectual knowledge is what we need. However, we rarely teach the heart’s eye perspective.
Ms. Daum presents four different ways (Breath Prayer, Center Prayer, Lectio Divina, and Examen) for learning from the heart’s eye perspective in this article. Each of these ways gives the user an opportunity to discover knowledge of God in the quiet moments of life. They allow the user to slow down and see and hear God internally – not by their knowledge, but by the opening of themselves to the voice of God speaking directly to them.
Using Mary Boys’ “Educating in Faith: Maps and Visions” grid of questions on what does it mean to be religious? And what does it mean to educate in faith? One can easily see how “Praying Through Advent: A Preparation of the Heart” reveals God to use through the quiet moments of prayer. In these moments we bring ourselves closer to God, who makes known his presence in our life, his desires for us, and that He is there standing with us, holding us.
The material is easily adaptable to use by an individual or a group. In a group seating you could decide to teach one method of preparing your heart for each week of the advent season. You would present what the method is and practice it during your classroom time then request that the individuals use it during the week. As an individual you could try each method out finding the ones which work best for you on your daily journey to advent. In a month’s period of time you would discover a new way of hearing God through your mind’s eye.
I find the article and excellent resource for meditative prayer which can be adaptable to a wide variety of learning situation. The curriculum is easily understood and put into practice, allows the user to move forward in their personal faith journey with God, and brings God alive in their hearts as they prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ.