Unwrapping Presence: the truest gift

There are gifts according to the catechism of the Catholic Church that are associated with allowing the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life and these are:

• Wisdom associated with the virtue of charity
• Understanding associated with the virtue of faith
• Counsel associated with the virtue of prudence
• Fortitude associated with the virtue of courage
• Wonder & Awe associated with hope
• Piety or Reverence
• Knowledge

If I take this information and bring it into Inner Bonding, I can clearly identify the gift that occurs when I am present and open to the presence of Spirit. Once I connect to Spirit I have wisdom and understanding beyond the limited capacity of my ego. I have courage and hope in this place of connection. According to Galatians the result or the fruits of my connection are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  It is in my surrender, my intent to be present with the presence of Spirit that I might encounter the truth. This truth is that my essence, and the essence of others is a spark of the divine. It is the Spirit that allows us to turn to our true nature. Spirit confronts, converts and consoles according to Fr. Richard Rohr. It is the Spirit that allows us to become a more compassionate witness of our own behavior and in turn the behavior of others. It is Spirit that shows us love and compassion and in the grace of these two we experience unspeakable joy.

During an Inner Bonding intensive, I became very aware of the difference that not only my presence but the awareness of the presence of others is where the connection is made, loneliness has no place in the space of one present person connecting to another. It is when I let my energy wander outside of my body in hopes of creating a connection that I feel empty and dysfunctional. If I begin to feel anxious, I know that my energy is located outside of my heart center. When I had that Bingo! Moment and could feel the power, power from a place of not feeling weak, not power over others, but real authentic power that comes with being present with oneself. It made me remember the movie "Being There" about the uneducated gardener Chance, and the wisdom he had uncovered through working with plants and watching television.  He was thought to be simple in his view, but was able to open us and others to deeper learning. It is in "being there" in my process, not trying to figure it out in my head that brings true knowledge and true peace. It is in "being there" with others that I have full joy in my friendships and encounters. Today I read "I don't need other people to have an open mind for me to be happy. I'm the only one who needs an open mind. -Byron Katie" I realize my first intention should always be being present with an intention to learn, or in other words approaching every situation with an open heart.

In the end it all goes back to the very important Step 1 of Inner Bonding: tuning in or getting present in your body and wanting to know, getting curious with a real intention to learn. If I can take the time I need to get present in step one, I assuredly will have a more satisfying Inner Bonding process. If in turn, I choose to stay present in all of my interactions, my very presence will allow me to experience and share the very fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I consider these the most wonderful gifts of all. Many blessings to you all during this holiday season.