Going to the Service Every Day
A report on the life giving effect of going to The Act of Consecration, by a member, Richard Chomko
Following the start of the Seminary I thought I’d take advantage of the opportunity to attend the Act of Consecration of Man service every day it was celebrated, just because I wanted to participate in the life of the Seminary in whatever ways possible.
The next day, on Monday, I was surprised to find that the service was in German. Although I understood a few words, I wasn’t getting the full meaning. But I know how the service goes, and I found that hearing it in the original German imparted more of a mantric quality to the experience.
On Friday, Melanie Nason asked me how I was feeling after going for six days in a row. I didn’t have much to say at the time. However, reflecting on it later and observing myself more closely, particularly in the hours after Friday’s service, I did notice that I was much less phlegmatic and seemed to have more will and initiative. I was getting right down to doing the things I needed to do, which is unusual for me. It gave me vitality!
For example, when I came home on Friday I put away my clothes that were lying all over my office, swept the kitchen floor, and got right to the office tasks that were awaiting me. Later in the day I even sorted out all our empty jars and set some aside to give away — all things that are uncharacteristic for me to do. Looking back I realize that already on Monday I went to the social hour at Hesperus, which I normally never do. And I was doing all these things without any sense of effort. Looking back at it I feel that until last Friday I was a bit like one of those fairytale characters who goes around under an enchantment, until finally the spell is broken.
So yes, I think it’s definitely accurate to say that my experience attending the service for just those first six days in a row, has noticeably strengthened my ego, and given me more life, and will. During the service I try to do what Jonah has often suggested and imagine that I am the priest performing the ritual. However my attention to this is rarely as constant as I would like.
It hasn’t been easy for me to connect to the Act of Consecration. I kept going because I felt there was something there, even if I wasn’t quite getting it. And I did once — maybe three years ago — have a very strong experience at the Service that I can’t describe.
Then, maybe about a year ago, I was at church one Sunday feeling like a bit of an outsider in the Service. I prayed to Jesus that he remove whatever was blocking me from entering more fully into the experience.
After I got home I was alarmed to see that my computer had booted up in its old operating system instead of the new one I now regularly use. I interpreted this to mean that Jesus had messed with my computer to send me the message that my excessive focus on the screen was what was blocking me from experiencing the Act of Consecration more fully. (This booting from the old OS was not something that had ever happened before on its own like that.)
In the months after that, I gradually got to the point where I felt more at home in the Service, and vaguely felt better after having attended. However, it wasn’t until this past week, when I went six times in a row, that the reality of how the Service was affecting me really hit home. Needless to say, I’m going to keep going to the Act of Consecration of Man as often as I can.
— Richard Chomko