Call to Mindfulness

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Benedictine, mindfulness, monasteries without walls, silence, Sr. Joan Chittister, St. Benedict, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Unlike most of those holy people we call saints, the influence of Benedict (c. 480 – c.547), whom we celebrate today, has been constant in the Western world of monasticism for over 1500 years. In fact, Benedict’s influence in the wider world of spirituality is now likely more expansive than ever before. Groups are forming and calling themselves “monasteries without walls,” living life “in the world” while following the tenets of the Benedictine rule. People are in search of a model for living that calls to mindfulness and a balanced way of being that fits into “real life” – not necessarily hidden away in a monastery. They are finding such a way with Benedict.

Twenty years ago Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister wrote a book entitled, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today. It is a simple, straightforward work on how to live every day mindfully with examples of how to balance work and rest, community and silence, and much more… examples that can relate to all of us. Sister Joan has a paragraph that sums it up quite well and is easily explicable, I think, to anyone who desires a closer relationship to God while living in any lifestyle today.

And so Benedict calls all of us to mindfulness. No life is to be so busy that there is no time to take stock of it. No day is to be so full of business that the gospel dare not intrude. No schedule is to be so tight that there is no room for reflection on whether what is being done is worth doing at all. No work should be so all-consuming that nothing else can ever get in: not my husband, not my wife, not my hobbies, not my friends, not nature, not reading, not prayer. How shall we ever put on the mind of Christ if we never take time to determine what the mind of Christ was then and is now, for me? (p. 105)

Good question…

In and Out

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beauty, breathe, nature, Sabbath, silence, stillness, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

There are so many people and organizations giving advice daily on television, podcasts and all manner of “advice columns.” I sometimes feel a need to add my voice from my tiny corner of the world but often lately I sense more of a need to just sit quietly and let the silence speak. Nature seems complicit in this feeling this morning and gives me a nudge saying, “Yes, that’s it. Any thoughts you have are unnecessary today. Just listen. That’s what “sabbath” is all about.”

I can be confident in that feeling because here’s what has happened in less than the last hour. Knowing that I had a late start to the morning because of a late start to sleeping last night, I got my coffee and began my sojourn through my regular prompts—Scripture, USCCB notations, Franciscan media, the SSJE Brothers… and had trouble accessing the above mentioned pages or staying on the page when it finally showed up. As I surfed I realized it was getting darker outside and I still had nothing to offer. Suddenly there was a great, yet silent, cloudburst washing the trees with no wind, just a steady, torrential downpour that gave way to a sparkling sunshine and birdsong within minutes of the rain’s conclusion.

Why would I think I need to add to that happening? The silence fills the world with Sabbath beauty and stillness is God’s gift to my soul. May you be similarly blessed with the simple necessity of breathing into the day: in and out…in and out…no distress…only breath…in and out…in and out.

Quotable Quotes

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poverty, prayer, seek, silence, Sisters of St. Joseph, solitude, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton

There are a lot of people who have chosen a specific quote that expresses something important to them, something that they want to say to all the people with whom they share e-mail. I’m always interested to read these brief messages that conclude their e-mails to see if I think they fit the person behind the quote. Last week one of my Sisters of St. Joseph treated me to a quote of Thomas Merton that was characteristic of him but one I had never heard before. I might have claimed it for myself if I were called to choose it from the many great lines that run through my brain on any given day. I don’t know if I could ever settle on one choice to the exclusion of all others but this one is certainly a contender.

Do you have a favorite? This one came from Sister Linda Neil, CSJ, and I could say I value its message more and more each day. Thanks to Lin!

Let me seek, then, the gift of silence, and poverty, and solitude, where everything I touch is turned into prayer, where the sky is my prayer, the birds are my prayer, the wind in the trees is my prayer, for God is all in all.

A “Merton Moment”

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creation, morning, presence, silence, spring, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton, Thomas Merton: A Book of Hours

We had tornado warnings last evening but only got torrential rains that seem to have washed away layers of distress and moved us finally into a glorious taste of spring. I thank God for windows this morning! The first blast of beauty that met me was the flowering cherry tree in the west corner that was glorious seen from above (the second floor). Downstairs there was a congregation of colorful birds on the newly washed deck – more variety than we have ever had! In addition to the ever-present yellow of the finches we have a second appearance of Baltimore orioles and, for the first time, a contingent of rose-breasted grosbeaks. They all know where the party is and it is a delight to watch them as they find breakfast, dancing and singing this early in the day to give me courage.

I sit here in the sun, feeling the gentleness of the breeze and imaging Thomas Merton on the tiny porch of his hermitage on mornings just like this one. The leaves on the trees still sparkle with the remnants of the rain as I turn to his words for a way to express praise of this wonderland of creation.

The most wonderful moment of the day is that when creation in its innocence asks permission to “be” once again, as it did on the first morning that ever was…There are drops of dew that show like sapphires in the grass as soon as the morning sun appears, and leaves stir behind the hushed flight of an escaping dove…Today, Father, this blue sky lauds you…The distant blue hills praise you, together with the sweet-smelling air that is full of brilliant light…I too, Father, praise you, with all these my brothers, and they give voice to my own heart and to my own silence. We are all one silence, and a diversity of voices…Here I am. In me the world is present, and you are present. I am a link in the chain of light and of presence…(Thomas Merton: A Book of Hours)

Precious Lessons

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just being, Peace, presence, reflection, silence, stillness, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I’ve just had a 40-minute quiet time with our cat on my lap. It was quite spontaneous. I sat down with my first cup of coffee in hopes of clearing my head and realized I forgot to bring my reading glasses downstairs. I thought just sitting quietly for awhile would be a good thing. Precious (yes, that’s really her name!) must have had the same thought because she looked at me from across the room. I sent her a telepathic “Okay, Come on!” and she immediately jumped down from her perch and landed on my lap. Neither of us disturbed the other at all. I just let my thoughts float through and disappear; she, I presume, did the same. It was as if we had made a pact of silence and immobility as her quiet presence called me to a deeper stillness.

I am grateful for those times of reflection and/or no thought which are more common than ever these days. Perhaps this is the best gift of staying at home. Although I have projects to last a lifetime that I could be doing, I am feeling less and less need to complete them at any particular time because I am learning more than ever the value of “just being.”

If you are schooled in responsibility, I would suggest taking some time (definitely more than you think necessary) to just sit, or go for a walk or, in any way that would be unusual, “waste” some time until doing so can start to feel good and the ensuing peace brings a smile to your face.

Epiphany!

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be kind, epiphany, Herod, Magi, silence, stars, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Epiphany is a Greek word meaning “appearance” or “manifestation” and in Christian circles it is used in recounting of the story of the Magi’s visit to Bethlehem. We loved that story when we were children – most of all, I would guess, if one happened to be a boy who had a great costume in the Christmas play, that of a king “from the East.” The real event was more complicated than just their arrival, which happened significantly later than the date of Christmas and caused a massacre of boys under two years old.

There were no television cameras to announce these visitors. As is frequent in Scripture, the details surrounding this event are few. What we can extrapolate from the story is that these men were attentive to a “message in the stars” as well as to their dreams which told them to avoid Herod as they were leaving. There is a component of intuition and trust necessary for such an “epiphany.” One has to be listening deeply not to miss the signals. Isaiah the prophet gave a hint long before the Magi began their trek. ” Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow…” (1 Is 60: 1-6)

Have you ever had an “epiphany” in your life? It’s not always a religious experience. I remember a day in my college days when my philosophy professor failed to help me understand something important and suddenly one of my study partners said it in a way that illuminated it perfectly – clearly an epiphany! But how much more meaningful are the days when something touches us in a way that manifests God’s love – like a flash of light or a kiss directly to our heart! We can’t force an epiphany but we can make ourselves ready. Stay awake. Practice silence. Be kind. And once in awhile, at least, look up at the stars.

John of the Cross

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contemplate, persevere, prayer, silence, St. John of the Cross, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transformation

When I wrote yesterday’s post, I wasn’t conscious that we were on the doorstep of John of the Cross. I know that there are several “Greats” celebrated in December, but being on vacation has a way of erasing any sense of date or time…It’s quite delightful but not so good for “devotion to duty” as in a daily practice. I say that because yesterday’s post seems to me a surprisingly appropriate introduction to this memorial.

Discipline and self-denial are not popular terms in our era but, in truth, they might be the best – if not the only – way to find what many of us long for: deep and meaningful relationship with the Divine. Spiritual author, mystic, founder of communities of Carmelite monks and nuns, spiritual director to many including St. Teresa of Avila and Doctor of the Church, John of the Cross is one of the “bright lights” of Christianity. As we celebrate his feast, let us consider some of his thoughts for reflection.

Silence is God’s first language.

Where there is no love, pour love, and you will draw love out.

To love is to be transformed into what we love. To love God is therefore to be transformed into God.

Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason. God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction.

However softly we speak, God is so close to us that he can hear us; nor do we need wings to go in search of him, but merely to seek solitude and contemplate him within ourselves, without being surprised to find such good Guest there.

Heartfelt Listening

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listen, Meg Wheatley, silence, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Turning To One Another

Lately I’ve been noticing – and reading about – a lot of unfortunate trends in the ways that people speak to each other these days. It seems more like a contest than anything else and people are quick to pull a gun or call a lawyer to sue for defamation of character. On television, panel “discussions” devolve quickly into shouting matches or five people talking over each other in louder and louder voices to get their points across.

All of this reminded me of a moment at our book study session on Wednesday evening this past week. When Cheryl asked for comments on a section of the chapter we read, there was a protracted silence, long enough for me to feel the need to say something like: “Didn’t anything strike you? Anybody???” which elicited a rousing chorus of “We’re just thinking!…It’s so deep and meaningful…” I was immediately chastened and, at the same moment, grateful for the depth of sharing that was so common in this group.

Meg Wheatley has something to say on this topic. On a page from her book, turning to one another in answer to her own question, “When have I experienced good listening?” she writes the following:

One of the easiest human acts is also the most healing. Listening to someone. Simply listening. Not advising or coaching, but silently and fully listening…it has something to do with the fact that listening creates relationships. We know from science that nothing in the universe exists as an isolated or independent entity. Everything takes form from relationships, be it subatomic particles sharing energy or ecosystems sharing food. In the web of life, nothing lives alone. (p. 88-89)

I’ll try to remember that…

In the Silence, Listening

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Ancient Songs Sung Anew, God, God is calling, Luke, Lynn Bauman, Romans, silence, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I awoke this morning from a dream of snow. It was so real I had to get up and look out the window to find it truly a dream. Our first snow is predicted for later in this week but not yet…not quite yet. I love the symbol of snow as a new beginning. I have no idea where I first heard that but I keep it close as a wake-up call. This morning it was so vivid in my dream that I believe God is calling, and the readings certainly corroborate the feeling. Paul’s Letter to the Romans says that we have differing gifts and we ought to use them. (See ROM 12: 5-16) and Luke calls us to pay attention when God invites us to dinner. If we refuse by making excuses, our seats may be taken by others. (LK 14: 15-24). In order to hear God’s invitation, however, I find the humility of the psalmist the most vivid instruction, speaking to me in Lynn Bauman’s translation of Psalm 131. Please read it aloud.

Lord, I have little or nothing. I am no one and can bring nothing to you at all. I am only a simple human being; I understand little of earth’s great affairs. But I know this, that I must still my soul in quietness, and like a child who rests upon its mother’s breast, await your presence in the silence, listening, and in this waiting silence, remain awake forever. (Ancient Songs Sung Anew, p. 336)

Aftermath

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Celtic Benediction, J. Philip Newell, morning silence, silence, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, utterances

The silence around me this morning is broken only by my typing. There is (thankfully) no wind. Even in North Carolina, the hurricane has been downgraded to a category one storm. While still grieving for the inhabitants of the Bahamas, I offer a prayer of hope in the stillness of the morning.

“In the silence of the early morning your Spirit hovers over the brink of the day and new light pierces the darkness of the night. In the silence of the morning life begins to stir around me and I listen for the day’s first utterances. In earth, sea and sky and in the landscape of my own soul I listen for utterances of your love, O God. I listen for utterances of your love.”

(J. Philip Newell, Celtic Benediction, p. 74)