De Mello Wisdom
Father Anthony De Mello was a Catholic priest and director of a spirituality center in India. He wrote several books on spirituality using the wisdom from the West and East. He led seminars and was a speaker in much demand until he died in 1987.
Father J. Francis Stroud, is the director of the De Mello Center. Father Stroud captures the insights, humor and depth of Father De Mello, in his book on De Mello’s spirituality, titled, Praying Naked. We come before God, naked, just as we are, and, we are clothed in grace.
For the Tuesday Mornings in August, 2009, I am sharing some of the De Mello stories and wisdom from Praying Naked.
De Mello tells a story I heard once before that goes something like this:
There is a story about a shoemaker man named McGregor from northern Scotland who kept having a dream that he should go to London Bridge where he would find a treasure that would solve all his money problems forever. So, he got up one day and went to London and found the bridge. The bridge was heavily guarded. He didn’t know what else to do except approach one of the guards and tell him his story. The guard laughed, "You mean you came all this way because of a dream?" "Yes," said McGregor. "Well, that is foolish," said the guard. "If I followed all my dreams I’d be on my way to northern Scotland." "Why is that?" said McGregor. "Because I dreamt that there is a little town in northern Scotland with a shoemaker named McGregor and under the floor of his stove there is a treasure." McGregor’s eyes got big and he said, "Really?"
He went home and dug up the floor under his stove and found a treasure that solved his money worries forever. (53)
It is important to pay attention to dreams. There are the dreams we have at night. There are the aspirations for things we want to accomplish. God does inspire us and lead us by dreams. Look at Abraham and Joseph and Jacob and Peter and Paul - all of them paid attention to dreams and found God guiding them.
Talk to people about your dreams. Share your deepest desires with people you trust. You may find that you are called to go on a journey. You may find that a journey will call you to come home and there you will find a treasure.
Together in Christ,
Dr. Stephen Melton
