Wednesday, September 13, 2017
From today’s first reading:
“Since you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated
at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.”
(Colossians 3:1-2)
Yesterday we contemplated the
scene when Jesus spent the night alone with His Father in prayer. At the time,
I observed what happened to me, and probably to you, by focusing my attention
on that one detail of the Gospel:
“Whenever I set
my mind on it, a sense of calm comes over me and at the same time arises from
within me, and so this is a wonderful place to begin a time of prayer. Even as
I type these words, that calmness is with me, and I hope you can sense it as
well.”
Once we have begun to understand
that we are not our thoughts, but rather the thinkers of our thoughts, we are
able to separate from them a bit and observe them as then enter our minds. At
that moment, we have a choice: either let them pass through, or entertain them
and have them control us as they carry us off to whatever direction they
demand. When the former happens, we are free and have a measure of control;
when the latter happens, we are controlled by out thoughts, and often end up in
an unpleasant mood.
You already know this. You know
there are certain “tapes” your mind plays that lead you into rehashing bad
memories, entertaining dark emotions, obsessing over what is in the past to the
point where you lose all sense of what is in the present. Sometimes this is
called “daydreaming.” Sometimes it is harmless although trivial; sometimes it
is toxic: Notice what happens in your body and in your emotions when you allow
certain "tapes” to play in your mind and ruin your otherwise pleasant
experience.
If you understand this, and are
willing to work with it, then the passage from Colossians that I quoted above
can make sense in a new and powerful way. What it invites us to do is to choose
to reflect on eternal matters rather than what is mundane, boring, hurtful or
even sinful.
Moreover, you can collect
certain words and phrases that prompt you to stay in holy space, things such as
“Help me, Jesus,” or the Hail Mary, or turning over in your mind a particular
scene from the Gospel or a turn of phrase like “seek what is above.” You can
even use music to help redirect your focus. I have a particular song running
through my mind today. It’s from a choral peace called “In Memory of You.” What
I hear playing in my mind is simply this phrase: “Lord Jesus, you are here with
us.” It keeps my mind focused on “things above” and quiets earthly thoughts.
Try it.
God bless you!
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