Mara Natha

We picked little G up from Sunday School this week, and he was so excited to tell us about a new word he had learned, Mara Natha. He continued to tell us that, "you are supposed to wake up every morning and repeat "Mara Natha, Mara Natha" and that it means, come God come."

This Sunday School lesson perplexed me a bit as G's demonstration of this sounded like a mantra, and when I think of a mantra, I think of incantation and meditation, which makes me think of the New Age movement and Hinduism and Buddhism, not the conservative Protestant teachings that we know!

I did a little research into G's new phrase and found that Christian meditation is indeed rooted in the Bible. In fact, the Bible commands us to meditate. In Joshua 1:8, God says to meditate on His word day and night so we will obey it. The psalmist says "his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2).

It turns out that Mara Natha is a Christian meditation mantra that has been used for a very long time by the early monks, though it is little known publicly. The word Maranatha is the final instruction of St. Paul's teachings to the Corinthians, and is St. John's final instruction in the Book of Revelations. Thus, the last word, the final teaching of the entire Christian Bible is "Maranatha," which is Aramaic and means, "Come Lord come."

Wow! I am thrilled about what they are teaching in Sunday School! And I am thrilled that little G learned this phrase and is so excited to put into practice this idea of pausing first thing in the morning to fill his mind with God's Word.

Another lesson for us all.

Although my intentions are right and pure to start each day with a few moments filling my mind and heart with God's Word, it seems like I hit the ground running most days, mentally going through my lists and tasks ahead, charging forward with dressing myself and the boys, hustling through breakfast and on with our day.

I do think we should meditate and think about God's Word, and I do think this should happen purposefully every day. After all, our thoughts determine our actions and behaviors, so what we think about is very important.

Little G brought home a prayer in addition to his new, powerful vocabulary word. I just love the prayer and want to share it with you:

In Prayer

Be like the hill - still
in touch with eternity.
Let your spines
Be like the stalk of the sunflower - straight;
Like the flower itself search -
always search for the Sun.
Be like the depth of the sea - calm,
whatever may stir above.
Like ivy cling
with every fibre of your being
to the Lord you love so much.
Let your words
mingle
with the song of the birds,
forever praising.
Be like the river
always giving, helping, serving.
Be like the moon,
give your light to all.
Like that of the moon -
It is not yours.
Remember your breath.
It comes from God
to make you live.
It goes to God . . .
Let your prayer float on your breath
from God - to God
To make you live
like God.
Be like the thirsting earth -
Open, silent, still, receiving
Whatever comes to you.

Roger Lesser, inspired by Fr. Seraphion of Mt Athos