Pulled to Worship Together

by Mary Beth DiMarco
Syracuse Meeting

My initial journey to attend a Quaker meeting was a completely unexpected experience. Having been well established in a meditation practice with a vibrant and active community, I wasn’t looking to join another spiritual group. Yet Spirit began gently knocking on the door of my heart. What I discovered was a deep calling into the unknown. I didn’t over think it because I knew I needed to follow these stirrings.

Gathering together with Friends, for me, has been more akin to the feeling of being drawn in. Paying attention to the movement of Spirit, I feel touched, interrupted, and I sense the quiet pull of being summoned. Desirous of wanting to respond, I allow myself to trust what I feel and perceive. I gather with Friends because I must. It’s as simple as that.

Being led, I recognize those who have also responded to their invitation from Spirit. Together, we share in a mystery that is beyond any one of us. If there that of God in everyone, I don’t look for or need uniformity. Letting go of preconceived notions of what a Quaker is, I am free to accept each person. With no pre-determined agenda, we await and surrender to silence and messages, shared in openness and love. Sitting in freedom, we participate with Spirit and witness the manifestation of the creative One. The magnificent essence of the Divine is limitless.

Saying a continual yes to Spirit establishes my own journey with truth. It is not a static state of mind or a comfort level of finding one solid certainty, new friends or a popular group. It is a fluid faithfulness, a continual yes to God’s call, necessitating a maturity, an authenticity and a taking of responsibility for my spiritual life and the life of the Meeting.

I witness kindness, thoughtfulness, nurturing, various personal or familial struggles, a willingness to listen to differences and an expectation from other Friends to try and be our best selves. It is these sparks of divinity that speak to me, affirming what I discern as the spirit of God among us. In seeking simple, true, and honest relationships, I witness wonderful human goodness. I rejoice in this and know that this too evidences the spirit of God.

Sharing times of worship gives way to being together socially, in fun activities or engaging in social activism. Friends become friends when we respect and celebrate each other’s engagements, gifts and talents.

Throughout my life, I’ve always loved the Latin phrase, fidens quaerens intellectum; faith in search of understanding. It is a theological method stressed by Augustine (354–430) and Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033–1109), whereby one begins with faith, and from there, seeks an understanding of the mysteries of God. Worshipping with Quakers has only solidified this maxim for me, not in a scholarly way, but rather being receptive to an ongoing understanding of Spirit, in my own heart, in the lives of Friends and in the world we embrace.