Wednesday, February 24, 2016
2. “We cannot be ourselves unless we know ourselves. But self-knowledge is impossible when thoughtless and automatic activity keeps our soul in confusion,” Thomas Merton wrote in No Man Is an Island. What are some creative ways to incorporate reflection into our sometimes “thoughtless and automatic activity”?
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While doing household family chores I sometimes remember to imagine that Mary and Joseph surely spent much of their time on similar tasks. This adds meaning and reveals to me ways I can be more patient. While driving I usually listen to Catholic Radio.
ReplyDeleteOne of the hardest things for me is to remain mindful, to focus totally on the present moment. You know how you find yourself two miles further down the road home and you don't really remember passing the usual landmarks? I'm planning the next talk or the next menu or thinking about a person who has a problem or prayer request...and the road just zips by. In my desire to see everything, I am missing everything. I have focused on developing little habits of mindfulness, especially when listening to someone who has a story to tell...but too often, another person who is trying to catch my eye DOES catch my eye and I lose focus. I pray everyday for the gift of mindfulness as I sit and eat breakfast and try to pray at the same time. It is hard work to make a sacrament of the present moment with the veritable farrago of memories and experiences exploding in my brain like it's the fourth of July. Using Ignatian imagination exercises or centering prayer often helps me to calm down and refocus. I am glad I didn't have to figure these things out on my own, I can just explore the writings of the saints to get me started.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, MaryAnn, that your experience is probably very universal. I certainly can identify with the difficulty to remain focused in many situations. The one thing that I want to be is present to those around me, so I am trying to prayerfully develop the ability to remain silent when someone is speaking and aware of the feelings and needs that arise in me in doing so. I am finding that spending some time in Adoration is a very calming and centering activity for me, and is helping me to be more present to others also.
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