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balance, holy, holy leisure, Joan Chittister, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily
In Sister Joan Chittister’s book, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, there is a chapter entitled “Holy Leisure: the Key to a Good Life.” I opened to it today in search of some good thoughts about foolishness or what it means to be a “holy fool,” since today is April Fool’s Day. What I found lurking under all her words was Sister Joan’s deep understanding of balance, the mainstay of St. Benedict’s rule of life.
What I have heard most often in conversations over the past month is a determination to get rid of clutter and bring some order to life because of the necessity of staying home, i.e. not going to work. This is—especially for people like me who seem to get less organized with age—what seems to be a golden opportunity because of having more time with less to do. What I find, however, is that the days are passing and my achievements are not commensurate with the number of days that are already gone from me without any success to show for the time spent.
My conclusion is that perhaps my understanding of “balance” is rather skewed. How to get to balance might entail freeing myself from guilt about not achieving what I plan for a day but planning differently. What is it that would qualify as “leisure” nowadays? I can’t go to the movies or to a concert but maybe a TV movie in the middle of the afternoon with my housemates would be allowed. Or maybe I could put on earphones and listen to the “ONE” CD of all the #1 songs of the BEATLES, even occasionally singing out loud or dancing along with Paul, the best of all Beatles.
What would call you out of this distressing time we are living in and raise your spirits? Spending a couple of hours doing whatever it is might be just the thing to make the rest of the day worth the time and even worthy of the designation “holy.”
The beginning of a new week is always a good time to take a breath and see what lies ahead. That task presupposes a look at the calendar to be sure we have noted all the “goings-on” and the preparation necessary for each event. I’m reminded of that practice by the first line from this morning’s psalm that prays: Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart. (PS 90:12) The first clause of that sentence sounds like the necessity of knowing what day and date it is (something that escapes me sometimes lately) but the second clause adds a goal to the “numbering.” It implies good time management but also good choices about how we are spending the time that we have.
Sometimes it’s difficult to know what to say in this complex and over-stimulating world in which we now live. This morning as I was considering the lectionary readings one by one I kept getting interrupted with news flashes. It went something like this:
Santa Claus arrived with a flourish yesterday at the culmination of the Thanksgiving Day parade in NY City. He was quite animated, bouncing and waving in all directions to announce that the run-up to Christmas had begun. Although Hallmark movies had been filling the airwaves with Christmas carols since sometime in October, now it’s official and very serious. The internet is awash with advertisements for all kinds of amazing discounts on products and services. I heard on the national news last night that even airline ticket prices are slashed “for a limited time.” What began as a day-long opportunity for deep price reductions on the day after Thanksgiving has been running for a week already, but is still named, ironically, Black Friday.
On days like today when we have been once again faced with senseless, unspeakable violence, this time on a scale not seen before in our history, it is difficult to even begin to speak of it. My first thought this morning was of a line from Scripture: A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more. (JER 31:15) As we turn in prayer toward the people of Las Vegas – for that seems the only thing to do as the tally of dead and wounded continues to rise – we must lament, as individuals and as a nation. And in the face of the distress in this dawning day, I turn to Meg Wheatley for a way to persevere.
It’s been raining – torrents and thunder-filled sometimes – for the past three days. Yesterday it was if the divine weatherman was playing with us. Drenching downpours were followed by moments of sun peeking out of big gray clouds – then rain again…Even this morning the deck behind our house is puddle-strewn. I look out at the trees, rain soaked as well, but shining now in full sun. What a relief! I never mind the rain but when we begin to hear of flooding streams I know it’s all too much for the farmers and I pray for the balance to be restored. So today it feels as if God is saying, “Wake up! All your sluggishness is washed away! New possibilities await you!” and I sing a response with the psalmist in a translation by Nan Merrill.
It’s clear to everyone in the United States of America – and beyond – that things will be changing for us very soon. It’s difficult to be sure of what form those changes will take but change there will undoubtedly be. I’ve spoken before about possible reactions and responses to change. This morning I was again thrust into that reflection by the final verses of Psalm 98, presented in a lyrical way by the following translation.