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Change your Life by Changing Your Thoughts

By Anita Mathias 2 Comments

Leonardo da Vinci - St John the Baptist


Today’s meditation is on changing our lives by changing our thinking.

 

So, just before Jesus bursts on the scene in the Gospel of Matthew

The no-nonsense, utterly serious John the Baptist

Comes with an utterly serious message, Repent

In the Greek, metanoeite,

for the kingdom of heaven has come near.

 

The Kingdom of Heaven? A new era in history

Has begun: The era of Jesus,

When ordinary, heavy-laden frazzled people can, just like that,

Squeeze through a narrow gate into an inner new world,

The invisible but real Kingdom, described by the Apostle Paul

as righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

 

Who would not want this?

 

What is this narrow door into a bigger, happier life?

It is to repent, in Greek metanoéō. From meta, change, nous, mind

Repenting literally means to change one’s mind, to think differently

 

And that is the way any real change begins in our lives.

We change how we think about things.

We are “transformed by the renewing of our minds,”

In Paul’s lovely phrase in his letter to the Romans.

 

It is all gain; it is, seriously, a wiser, better life,

To cultivate what the Apostle Paul calls

“The mind of Christ” as we consider the issues of our lives

(And it’s common sense to cultivate the mind of Christ

Because Christ’s mind is far cleverer, more incisive,

More original and startling than ours could ever be.)

 

Metanoia, repentance, thinking differently

Can mean mentally seeing Christ standing between us

and the questions, puzzles and uncertainties in our lives.

We see the problem we face bathed in the golden light of Christ,

And we ask him to show us what he thinks about it.

 

For instance: to take an issue which obsesses many people today:

Conforming to a socially-enviable body shape

Can consume much mental, emotional and physical energy.

But God created both hippopotamuses and cheetahs.

His delight in us, his amusement as he sees us,

Is not dependent on whether our BMI is 18, 25 or 30,

Whether our dress size is 2 or 14. God who made our bodies

Loves and values them more than we do,

Just like as the author of the book loves it more

than the one who bought a copy.

God, who made us, thinks we are fabulous.

So rest in his love.

 

And so metanoia, a new mind, thinking differently, repentance

Means rejecting vanity-based worries about appearance

While realising, that, of course, God does want us

To do everything we can do

To have a strong, flexible and healthy body,

So as to have the strength and energy

To do the unique work He has called us to do,

For as long as we live on this earth.

 

So rather than being a reed swaying in the wind

Of the latest dietary pronouncements of the latest self-promoting guru,

Metanoeite, think differently:

Change your mind for the mind of Christ

 

Put your body, your health and your lifespan

Into God’s hands, and ask him,

And then trust him to guide you beyond

The latest pundit’s latest Noes, Noes

To eat blessing,

To eat the food which will be a blessing

To your individual and unique body, rather than a curse to it.

 

Jesus says his yoke is easy and his burden is light.

Metanoia, having a new mind, thinking differently, could mean

Asking the Spirit,

Whom Jesus says will teach us all things

To show us the light and easy way

To build joyful movement into our lives

Creating a body that will remain flexible and strong

For the rest of our lives. We must ask Jesus

Who promises us joy to teach us the right,

Most energising movement for us, say, yoga for flexibility,

or hefting weights for strength, or long-distance walking or running,

Flooding the mind with serotonin, and dopamine,

and slowly changing the deep structure of our brains.

We might also ask the Spirit to show us how to get strong and muscly

in a way consistent with love, perhaps incorporating vigorous housework

and gardening into our routines, as well as long walks with family and friends.

 

Being mindful that Jesus said that those who will not

Deny themselves and take up their cross are not worthy of him.

We remember that Christ says that his future disciples

will fast, and even promises us a reward for it.

(A reward from God!! Wow!)

Fasting, for the right periods of time for each of us,

blesses an overtaxed, overweight body,

and saves both time and money. Far better

than wasting brain space and emotional energy

In dietary obsessions.

 

And, as we take on the challenges life throws at us,

Like changing our bodies, if need be,

Changing our houses if decluttering or organizing is needed

Or waking earlier as the Spirit leads

We remain aware that we have a tender father looking at us,

Aware that to him we are as beloved toddlers are to a good human parent

Aware that he is a wonderful God

A compassionate and gracious God,

Slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,

As He described himself in his self-revelation to Moses in the Book of Exodus.

 

Let’s breathe.

Oh God of resurrection, who brings dead things to life

Who can do more in a few minutes of good ideas and multiplication

Than we could in years, we put into your hands,

Our perplexities and ask you for wisdom,

We give you our questions, and ask for your answers.

We love you. Increase our love,

We will trust you. Increase our trust.

Amen.

 

This meditation is on Matthew 3:2

If you’d like to read my previous recorded meditations,

4 Do not be Afraid–But be as Wise as a Serpent

3 Our Failures are the Cracks Through Which God’s Power Enters our Lives

2 The World is full of the Glory of God

1 Mindfulness is Remembering the Presence of Christ with us.

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Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India in the UK, and in the US, here, well, and widely available, online, worldwide 🙂

 

 

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Filed Under: Blog Through The Bible Project, Matthew, Reptentance Tagged With: body shape, diet, exercise, fasting, metanoia, repentance

Do Not Be Afraid–But Be as Wise as a Serpent

By Anita Mathias Leave a Comment

Welcome to the fourth episode of Christian Meditation with Anita Mathias. Let’s breathe. For a few minutes, give ourselves the gift of restfulness. We’ll detach from “to do lists”, and re-enter the body, which, Scripture tells us, is the temple of … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Blog Through the Bible Project., Matthew, Meditation Tagged With: angels, difference between fear and prudence, dreams, Herod, innocent as a dove, Jesus, Joseph the father of Jesus, Magi, refugee, sheep among wolves, wisdom, wise as a serpent, wolf in sheep's clothing

Our Failures are the Cracks through which God’s Light Enters

By Anita Mathias 2 Comments

The Book of Revelation, the final book of the Bible ends on an ecstatic note, “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. Maranatha. Come Lord … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Meditation Tagged With: Bathsheba, Boaz, David, failures, Jacob, Matthew 1, Rahab, Ruth, Tamar

The Whole Earth is Full of God’s Glory

By Anita Mathias 2 Comments

  Hello, welcome to the second episode of Christian meditation with Anita Mathias. Let’s close our eyes, and detach from the world, and begin to enter the inner sanctuary of the soul. The best way of calming down is by focusing on our … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Meditation

Mindfulness is Remembering the Presence of Christ with Us

By Anita Mathias 9 Comments

Hi Friends, Welcome to a new podcast, Christian Meditation with Anita. This is the first episode. Over the last four years, meditation has begun to change my life. A session of meditation before I write calms and focuses my mind and helps me … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Meditation

“Rosaries at the Grotto” A Chapter from my newly-published memoir, “Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India.”

By Anita Mathias

Rosaries at the Grotto During May, “The Month of our Lady,” Father Jesus Calvo, the Spanish parish priest, corralled the entire Catholic community of Jamshedpur at the grotto of St. Mary’s Church: a cave constructed of rocks and mortar, overplanted … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: A Catholic Childhood in India, Reading, Rosaries, Secrets, Secrets : A Catholic Childhood in India, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India Tagged With: Catholic, Catholic Family Movement, Christmas in India, Goans, Jamshedpur, Kushwar, Mangaloreans, Rosary

An Infallible Secret of Joy

By Anita Mathias

I have always hungrily sought joy–primarily in reading and poetry as a child and teen…  And, having lived in some beautiful places in my life, such as Nainital in the Himalayas during boarding school; and in Norham Gardens, facing the University … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Joy Tagged With: gratitude, joy, rejoice always

Thoughts on Writing my Just-published Memoir, & the Prologue to “Rosaries, Reading, Secrets”

By Anita Mathias

Writing a memoir awakens fierce memories of the past. For the past is not dead; it’s not even past, as William Faulkner observed. So what does one do with this undead past? Forgive. Forgive, huh? Forgive. Let it go. Again and again. For, after all, … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: In which I forgive Aught against Any (Sigh), Memoir Tagged With: forgiveness, Indian Catholics, Jamshedpur, Mangaloreans, memoir

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Recent Posts

  • Change your Life by Changing Your Thoughts
  • Do Not Be Afraid–But Be as Wise as a Serpent
  • Our Failures are the Cracks through which God’s Light Enters
  • The Whole Earth is Full of God’s Glory
  • Mindfulness is Remembering the Presence of Christ with Us
  • “Rosaries at the Grotto” A Chapter from my newly-published memoir, “Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India.”
  • An Infallible Secret of Joy
  • Thoughts on Writing my Just-published Memoir, & the Prologue to “Rosaries, Reading, Secrets”
  • Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India. My new memoir
  •  On Not Wasting a Desert Experience

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anita.mathias

https://anitamathias.com/2023/03/24/change-your-li https://anitamathias.com/2023/03/24/change-your-life-by-changing-how-you-think/
Hi Friends, I've recorded a brief meditation you might enjoy this weekend, on metanoia, often translated as repentance, but literally, a new mind, thinking differently (meta, change, nous, mind). This meditation considers vexing contemporary issues, body shape, diet, exercise, fasting, and losing weight, with metanoia, a new mind, attempting to see them with the mind of Christ. Relax and enjoy!
Image of Leonardo's John the Baptist, his final painting.
From my meditation on being as wise as a serpent h From my meditation on being as wise as a serpent https://anitamathias.com/2023/03/13/do-not-be-afraid-but-be-wise-as-a-serpent/
What is the wisdom Jesus recommends?
We go out as sheep among wolves,Christ says.
And, he adds, dangerously some wolves are dressed like sheep. 
They seem respectable-busy charity volunteers, Church people.
Oh, the noblest sentiments in the noblest words,
But they drain you of money, energy, time, your lifeblood. 
How then could a sheep, the most defenceless creature on earth,
Possibly be safe, among wolves,
Particularly wolves disguised in sheep’s clothing?
A sheep among wolves can be safe 
If it keeps its eyes on its Shepherd, and listens to him.
Check in with your instincts, and pay attention to them, 
for they can be God’s Spirit within you, warning you. 
Then Jesus warns his disciples, those sheep among wolves.
Be as wise, as phronimos as a serpent. 
The koine Greek word phronimos
means shrewd, sensible, cautious, prudent.
These traits don’t come naturally to me.
But if Christ commands that we be as wise as a serpent,
His Spirit will empower us to be so.
A serpent is a carnivorous reptile, 
But animals, birds and frogs are not easily caught.
So, the snake wastes no energy in bluster or self-promotion.
It does not boast of its plans; it does not show-off.
It is a creature of singular purpose, deliberate, slow-moving
For much of its life, it rests, camouflaged,
soaking in the sun, waiting and planning.
It’s patient, almost invisible, until the time is right
And then, it acts swiftly and decisively.
The wisdom of the snake then is in waiting
For the right time. It conserves energy,
Is warmed by the sun, watches, assesses, 
and when the time is right, it moves swiftly
And very effectively. 
However, as always, Jesus balances his advice:
Be as wise as a serpent, yes, but also as blameless 
akeraios  as a dove. As pure, as guileless, as good. 
Be wise, but not only to provide for yourself and family
But, also, to fulfil your calling in the world,
The one task God has given you, and no one else
Which you alone, and no one else, can do, 
And which God will increasingly reveal to you,
as you wait and ask.
Hi Friends, Here's a meditation is on the differen Hi Friends, Here's a meditation is on the difference between fear and prudence. It looks at Jesus's advice to be as wise as a serpent, but as blameless as dove. Wise as a serpent... because we go out as sheep among wolves... and among wolves disguised in sheep's clothing.
A meditation on what the wisdom of the snake is... wisdom I wish I had learned earlier, though it's never too late.
Subscribe on Apple podcasts, or on my blog, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's widely available. Thanks
https://anitamathias.com/2023/03/13/do-not-be-afraid-but-be-wise-as-a-serpent/
Once she was a baby girl. And now, she has, today, Once she was a baby girl. And now, she has, today, been offered her first job as a junior doctor. Delighted that our daughter, Irene, will be working in Oxford for the next two Foundation years. Oxford University Hospitals include the John Radcliffe Hospital, and the Churchill Hospital, both excellent.
But first she’s leaving to work at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto for two months for her elective. 
Congratulations, Irene! And God bless you!
https:/ Images from a winter in Oxford—my belove https:/ Images from a winter in Oxford—my beloved book group, walks near Christ Church, and Iffley, and a favourite tree, down the country lane, about two minutes from my house. I love photographing it in all weathers. 
And I've written a new meditation--ah, and a deeply personal one. This one is a meditation on how our failures provide a landing spot for God's power and love to find us. They are the cracks through which the light gets in. Without our failures, we wouldn't know we needed God--and so would miss out on something much greater than success!!
It's just 6 minutes, if you'd like to listen...and as always, there's a full transcript if you'd like to read it. Thank you for the kind feedback on the meditations I've shared already.
https://anitamathias.com/2023/03/03/our-failures-are-the-cracks-through-which-gods-light-enters/
So last lot of photos from our break in Majorca. F So last lot of photos from our break in Majorca. First image in a stalagmite and stalactite cave through which an undergroun river wended—but one with no trace of Gollum.
It’s definitely spring here… and our garden is a mixture of daffodils, crocus and hellebores.
And here I’ve recorded a short 5 minute meditation on lifting our spirits and practising gratitude by noticing that the whole world is full of God’s glory. Do listen.
https://anitamathias.com/2023/02/24/the-whole-earth-is-full-of-gods-glory/
Our family was in Majorca for 9 sunny days, and he Our family was in Majorca for 9 sunny days, and here are some pictures.
Also, I have started a meditation podcast, Christian meditation with Anita Mathias. Have a listen. https://anitamathias.com/2023/02/20/mindfulness-is-remembering-the-presence-of-christ-with-us/
Feedback welcome!
If you'll forgive me for adding to the noise of th If you'll forgive me for adding to the noise of the world on Black Friday, my memoir ,Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India, is on sale on Kindle all over the world for a few days. 
Carolyn Weber (who has written "Surprised by Oxford," an amazing memoir about coming to faith in Oxford https://amzn.to/3XyIftO )  has written a lovely endorsement of my memoir:
"Joining intelligent winsomeness with an engaging style, Anita Mathias writes with keen observation, lively insight and hard earned wisdom about navigating the life of thoughtful faith in a world of cultural complexities. Her story bears witness to how God wastes nothing and redeems all. Her words sing of a spirit strong in courage, compassion and a pervasive dedication to the adventure of life. As a reader, I have been challenged and changed by her beautifully told and powerful story - so will you."
The memoir is available on sale on Amazon.co.uk at https://amzn.to/3u0Ib8o and on Amazon.com at https://amzn.to/3u0IBvu and is reduced on the other Amazon sites too.
Thank you, and please let me know if you read and enjoy it!! #memoir #indianchildhood #india
Second birthday party. Determinedly escaping! So i Second birthday party. Determinedly escaping!
So it’s a beautiful November here in Oxford, and the trees are blazing. We will soon be celebrating our 33rd wedding anniversary…and are hoping for at least 33 more!! 
And here’s a chapter from my memoir of growing up Catholic in India… rosaries at the grotto, potlucks, the Catholic Family Movement, American missionary Jesuits, Mangaloreans, Goans, and food, food food…
https://anitamathias.com/2022/11/07/rosaries-at-the-grotto-a-chapter-from-my-newly-published-memoir-rosaries-reading-steel-a-catholic-childhood-in-india/
Available on Amazon.co.uk https://amzn.to/3Apjt5r and on Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3gcVboa and wherever Amazon sells books, as well as at most online retailers.
#birthdayparty #memoir #jamshedpur #India #rosariesreadingsecrets
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