Are consecrating prayer and the spiritual breath exercises simply a first commandment endeavor?
Just as Jesus used the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4–6) as the foundation for the first great commandment of Jewish precept, he used Leviticus (19:18) for the second, where the full directive is: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself; thy Lord is his.”
Could there be a more sublime codicil than “thy Lord is his”? God dwells in everyone. Treat everyone the way you would treat the Lord. See the Christ in all. See the Christ in your spouse, your child, your boss, your teacher—these are all your neighbors.
The love of the second great commandment, like that of the first, is also best translated to the modern as consecrating. (See Snippet 14.) Life is holy. When you have consecrated yourself to God, it is easy and natural to likewise consecrate yourself to your neighbor. The small disturbances of people and life become even smaller. Forgiveness comes easily. Perspective is delivered from a very high place.
There is precedence in the two great commandments. You consecrate yourself first to God. Then the divine communion flows through you and out to others.
The skill of sacrifice (literally “to make sacred”) learned in consecrating prayer teaches service. You find it easy to sacrifice your impulses for the balance of your relationship with others. You easily do whatever is necessary to stir the divine union that you experience in others as well. Your interactions are sacred. Thy Lord is his.
Like the process of the spiritual breath exercises, you give up anticipation when dealing with others. You consecrate yourself spontaneously and freely not knowing how your love—your consecration—will be returned, yet it always is and often in ways unimagined. Thy Lord is his.
This was enlightening. Thank you John