The Tomb Is Empty, Now What?

The world just celebrated the highest holiday on the Christian calendar, Easter.  The day we honor the resurrection of Jesus the Christ from the grave.  The day we celebrate new life.  

Spring reminds us that new life exists in all of nature, but Easter reminds us new life exists for each one of us.  Without the Resurrection we’d be left with no way out;  left dealing with the darkness our own wounds and dysfunction create.  Without the Resurrection we’d be faced with perpetuating these same wounds on others.  Without the Resurrection we’d be left with the impossible task of having to redeem our lives from the pit of our own despair.  We’d be left with the fact that a dysfunctional, false self can not transform itself into one’s true Self, one’s Christ Self for there would be no Christ self.  

Because Jesus lived truth, fully human and fully divine.  Because He showed it’s possible to live always in union with God the Father, the Creator.  Because His body absorbed the wounds from all of  humanity.   Because the death of His mortal body could not keep Him in the grave.  Because the Presence and Power of the Spirit of the Most High triumphed over death.  Because He lives we too can live.  Too great a mystery to comprehend, only to be received as pure gift.  There is just one major, existential question that Jesus walking out of the tomb creates, “Now what?” 

The only answer is to follow the Master into new life the way He taught and lived, the contemplative way.  The way of tending to your soul.

You are a follower of Christ wanting to answer the ‘now what?’ with your life.  You are a follower of Christ wanting to rise out of the darkness of codependency, anxiety and depression, addiction, grief, shame or whatever is keeping you stuck .  Have you been putting off whole-hearted living and tending to your soul?

Do you find yourself saying “Tomorrow, I’ll pay more attention to this transformation thing”.  “Tomorrow I’ll get to this prayer, meditation thing.”  “Tomorrow I’ll go to that recovery meeting.”  The list goes on.  Guess what?!  Tomorrow is today.  Resurrection life is now.  What does that mean for you?  Christ is tapping on your heart, shaking up your old belief system and patterns of thinking.  Does it seem a bit daunting?  You don’t have to do this new life on your own. 

The way has already been forged for you, but you have to take the steps to intentionally tend to your soul.  The Deeper Connection is here for you.  Spiritual Direction, Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina, a deeper prayer life, meditation, an intentional new way of living, is all possible.  You do not have to stay in your tomb.  You do not have to figure this out on your own.  You happened upon this blog article for a reason.  I’ve been where you are.  I have felt what it’s like to live in the dark and follow the Christ way out of the tomb.  

Contact me, like The Deeper Connection facebook page, listen to the prayer tracks on Insight Timer, subscribe to The Deeper Connection YouTube channel, schedule a Spiritual Direction appointment.  I would love to partner with you on your transformation journey, the contemplative way to new life.  It is time.

 

Still We Rise

In the midst of tragedy and crisis, where is God? Truth is, God is everywhere if we have the eyes to see. God is in all, if we have the hearts to feel, God is present if we have the soul to receive. As we watch the videos of how the horror unfolded on innocent lives in Las Vegas, we are burdened by the weight of sadness. In spite of the evil intention of a madman, God was in the midst of His people. Angels of mercy and might all around. Some ushering the innocent into their eternal home, others as friends, family, first responders, police officers, firefighters and the list goes on. Evil showed up but God prevailed in ways beyond imagination. Shielding thousands from a hailstorm of bullets, making a way out of what would have otherwise been a mass grave. God comforting the lost, as they breathed their last breath. God empowering the survivors as they performed heroic acts of courage.

Somehow we know all 22,000 people are heroes. When the worst of humanity reels it’s ugly head, the best of humanity responds in ways beyond imagining. We, who watch from a distance, are humbled by the tenacity of the human spirit. Stories of selfless heroism, beyond human strength and angelic compassion keep us bowed in surrender and voices lifted in prayer. As in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, Mexico and now Las Vegas, when it’s time to rise, we rise without hesitation.

The question that begs to be asked is this, “How will you rise?. How will we each of us respond, after the chaos has been cleared away and the news stories subside. This tragic event demands a personal response from every person within the sound of its’ thunder. That response must be Love in Action. Here is my request. Let love lift you up, your actions, your words and thoughts.

  1. Carry the woundedAs you saw the wounded being carried off of that killing field to safety, you too have the opportunity to carry the wounded. Those people wounded by anger, hatred and neglect on a daily basis, are all around you.
  2. Act in kindness, even when it isn’t returned, for perhaps your act of kindness will be the very one that softens the heart that has been hardened by a difficult life.
  3. Let your speech be respectful. Do not perpetuate angry, hateful, vile speech, for it only brings about more of the same. Refrain from participating in degrading, disrespectful social media posts and conversations, now and forever.
  4. State your position in an edifying way. Remember opinions are like noses, everyone has one. What makes you right and another wrong? Differences of opinions can be brought into the open without degrading and destroying another. Just watch Jimmy Kimmel’s video on his response to the tragedy in Las Vegas and you will see what I mean.
  5. Be patient with everyone, especially your children, spouse, neighbor, coworkers, etc. Patience is what love looks like. Patience can be hard and so can love, but in reality, what other option is there?
  6. Feed the hungry, clothe the poor, shelter the homeless and support the grieving both literally and figuratively. There are those hungry for acceptance and appreciation, those in need of respect, those who are isolated and need connection, and those who simply need someone to help them cry.

We human beings have a will, therefore, unlike all other creatures, we can make conscious decisions for good, for the sake of love or to perpetuate evil. Someone else’s poor choices and destructive behaviors is not a good enough excuse for the rest of us. We can choose God, love, peace and harmony while at the same time speaking our truth and standing for what heals.

There are only three things that matter and three things that will last, faith, hope and love. We ourselves are wounded, too empty to cry, too angry to speak, stunned by these days, but still we rise. Why? Because God is, because hope never gives up and faith will not let go, because truth must be heard and because the greatest of all these is love and love will always prevail. Always.

The Light in Darkness

In my darkest hour…there was Light…

There was nothing easy about going through a divorce. The guilt, shame and darkness was debilitating. Just as overwhelming were the insidious temptations to comfort and appease my pain with the immediate gratifications readily provided by the world.

When I gave up the self-defensive, victim posturing I was left to face my immense shame alone. That was when it happened.

One afternoon I could not move from my bed. My heart was heavy and I felt paralyzed by the darkness. I could not move a muscle. Breathing became difficult as the heaviness bore down on me. It felt like I was suffocating in my shame. The only movement was that of the racing and pounding in my chest. I could not speak. I could not justify or defend. I could not retreat into the Silence.
I could not even cry out for help. I could barely think. Nothing made sense.

Though I felt like God was far from me I managed to allow my mind say the name of Jesus. I have been saying the name of Jesus as my ‘prayer word’ since I was a small child. Now, it was all I could muster up. I was too weary to speak but I let my mind repeat ‘Jesus’ just as that frightened little girl did decades ago. I cannot say that I saw a blinding Light pierce through my darkness, nor can I say I felt any semblance of peace. What I was able to do was breathe that was all. As I breathed in and out and in and out the miracle took place.

In one brief moment I let go of my ‘white knuckle grip’ on my reality and God wasted no time revealing quite a different Reality. I became conscious of Christ. I couldn’t see or hear anything different but I could feel the Presence supporting and sustaining each breath holding my heart and soul. The anxiety and shame did not spontaneously dissipate. The miracle is that this loving, conscious Presence was right there in the midst of the debilitating feelings, thoughts and pain. Christ was present precisely in my woundedness, my darkest, most self-incriminating hour. Christ came as the Presence of no judgment, no condemnation and unconditional love. ‘How could this be?’, I thought. I remained there. I have no idea how long. After a while the freedom from this truth of ‘no condemnation’ started settling into me and the heaviness began to lift.

That is how I knew it was not my own mind or ego but the Reality of God breaking through. I could not create this feeling of freedom for I never felt it before in my life. I had no idea it even existed and therefore had no frame of reference. The miracle was organically experiencing the meaning of the words, ‘for there is no condemnation…I did not come to condemn…but to free you…who is here to judge you?’.
(John 8:7)

I experience that freedom to this day.


Who is Maria?


Maria Gullo is the founder of The Deeper Connection, a ministry dedicated to bringing individuals to inner peace. She is an ordained minister and has spent the past twenty-plus years delivering the message of contemplative Christian spirituality through centering prayer, retreats, workshops, and lectures. Maria’s guided prayer and meditation tools include audio downloads and CDs, available here online as well as on the Insight Timer mobile meditation app. Learn more about Maria.

Maria offers virtual online and private one-on-one Spiritual Direction sessions to help individuals develop a deeper connection, clearer understanding and authentic relationship with God, self and others.

Follow The Deeper Connection @deeperconnects on Twitter, and @thedeeperconnection on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube


Maria wants to hear from you! Tell your story or where you are in your journey.

My Agnostic Prayer Buddy

A couple of months ago I was beginning my weekly Contemplative Prayer Gathering.  We always begin in silence with gentle music playing in a candle-lit room. One person after another entered the room, each finding a seat in the circle of chairs.  Most times I sit with my eyes closed holding the silence as others enter.  On this particular night, when I heard the door open, I happened to raise my eyes and there was my dear old prayer buddy, John, entering the room. I hadn’t seen him in almost two years.

I had met John about eleven years ago when I started teaching centering prayer workshops and holding meditation/prayer meetings at a local twelve step recovery counseling center.  Serving in this place was a highlight in my life. John came to almost all my meetings.  He was quickly known and loved by everyone for his soul-searching, sometimes challenging, but always truth-seeking attitude, dry wit and gentle smile. As a mainstay in our ‘band of meditators’ for over seven years, I could always rely on John to bring his authentic self to the table, willingly participating in thought-provoking discussions.

I also had a Spiritual Direction practice at the center.  Curious to find out what Spiritual Direction was, John decided to book an appointment. I remember his first session as if it was just last week. He wasn’t sure if Spiritual Direction was for him, announcing he was agnostic. I admit to being a little confused, maybe even intimidated as he shared his well-defined reasoning; but I also sensed a deeper struggle that he never really spoke about. It could have been any number of things that I don’t want to guess, but what I do know is that his desire for spiritual truth always took precedence.  As the years went on John remained an integral influence in my meetings and work. He was a quiet, introverted, hard-working, middle-aged, ‘still waters run deep’ kind of guy. When he spoke, everyone listened.

It may have been a different venue, different time and place but here we were once again connecting through our common desire for spiritual depth, prayer and community.  The night before, I sent out an email to my group list, the first in a couple of years.  John received the email and responded by showing up as he always did with that same gentle smile and warm presence. For a split second I wondered if this meeting format would be to his liking but quickly dismissed the thought with gratitude.

Once again his contribution to the prayer, reflection and discussion time was profound, only this time he was different. There was a sense of peace and acceptance about him.  He was also quite connected to the scripture that evening which happened to be the story of when Jesus visited the sisters Mary and Martha. The one where Mary ‘chose the better part’ by being content to sit at Jesus feet, hanging on his every word. It felt to me like that’s what John was doing… choosing the ‘better part’ this time with no reservation. After the meeting I couldn’t wait to give him a big hug and let him know how happy I was to see him. I did exactly that and he assured me he’d definitely be back.

 Two meetings went by and I was disappointed John didn’t return.  The next day I received word from Marianne, his girlfriend, informing me that John had woken up on Monday morning feeling the same as usual, however that afternoon he began having trouble breathing. He called the ambulance and later that day passed away from a massive coronary.  My heart sank with sadness.

 It was a small, understated funeral, as I’m sure John would have wanted. Walking toward the casket I first greeted Marianne.  As we embraced, she expressed her gratitude toward me and once again my heart felt heavy with sadness.  As I greeted each of John’s siblings, I could see the faraway look on their faces as they wrestled with this difficult, new reality.

 “Hi, I’m Maria, a friend of John’s.”

 “How did you know John?” his brother asked.

 “He came to my prayer meetings.”

 “He what?” responded his sister.

 When I shared he had come to my prayer gatherings for many years, they both looked intently at me. I explained how and where we met and how important John’s presence was to our group.   I told them he had just come two weeks ago. As I spoke, I could tell by the looks on their faces that none of his family members knew this part of John.

 “Did you notice anything different about him? Do you think he knew?” his brother asked.

 I understood what he was asking me. Did I think John might have had some type of premonition that his life was ending soon? I explained how I had noticed a change in John, a sense of peace that had never been there before, and that while I couldn’t remember his exact words, I did distinctly remember feeling John had found his God.

 I could see sweet relief in his brother’s sad eyes and I immediately understood why I was there. They needed to know about that part of John, the relentless seeker of truth, who wasn’t going to stop seeking until his soul was at peace.

 I took my seat amongst his old friends, bowling buddies and work colleagues. The priest stood by John, saying a blessing over him.  He then turned and addressed all of us seated in attendance by sharing the story of Mary and Martha.

 In that moment I had a profound sense that John now knew what we are all still seeking.  He chose the ‘better part’ for good this time and as Jesus said in the story, “It shall never be taken away.”


Who is Maria?


Maria Gullo is the founder of The Deeper Connection, a ministry dedicated to bringing individuals to inner peace. She is an ordained minister and has spent the past twenty-plus years delivering the message of contemplative Christian spirituality through centering prayer, retreats, workshops, and lectures. Maria’s guided prayer and meditation tools include audio downloads and CDs, available here online as well as on the Insight Timer mobile meditation app. Learn more about Maria.

Maria offers virtual online and private one-on-one Spiritual Direction sessions to help individuals develop a deeper connection, clearer understanding and authentic relationship with God, self and others.

Follow The Deeper Connection @deeperconnects on Twitter, and @thedeeperconnection on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube


Maria wants to hear from you! Tell your story or where you are in your journey.