Silence heals

I had to go to the hospital yesterday for some testing. As usual, I brought a book with me in case I had to wait. I got to the waiting room, where there was a wall-mounted TV set blaring loud enough that it was impossible to read. There were a number of people in the room already, and their eyes were all glued to the TV—some program with a group of women sitting around a table and talking about . . . well,  nothing. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long before my name was called.

This wasn’t an isolated instance. As you probably know yourself, it’s a regular thing now to have television sets playing in waiting rooms for doctors’ offices. I could help thinking how much we are bombarded with noise and with valueless input every place we turn. There are so few places for silence any more. Few places where we can simply sit and think, or pray, or reflect on what is going on in our lives—and, as I’ve often said, these things are necessities in our lives if we are to live from the heart and from the spirit with any sense of self-awareness, recollection or reflection.

Just test your own experience. Even while you are reading these words, is there quiet around you? Or do you have to struggle to keep your focus on what you’re reading at the moment?

Something else happened yesterday. I was in the Abbey church opening up the organ to get ready for Vespers, when a woman came into the church and asked me if it was OK for her to sit there for a while. I invited her to stay for as long as she liked, and she sat down in a choir stall with a heavy sigh, and lowered her head. I thought she might begin to cry, but she didn’t, but she looked overburdened and distressed.

After a few moments she got up and started for the door. As she passed by me she thanked me, and said, “It’s such a wonderful thing to find a place where you can come and breathe in holy.” Just like that.

I smiled and said “God bless you” and she was off. I said a quick prayer for her and I hoped that she would come back to the church another time and perhaps find a sense of security here, and perhaps a place for recollection and rest.

A favorite verse from the psalms came to mind: “In the shadow of your wings I take refuge till the storms of destruction pass by.” (Psalm 57:2)

We need those places of hiding. If possible, we need to create them as well. And we need to provide them for others. Sometime during the day, even if only for 30 seconds, deep down beneath the noise and the distractions, close your eyes and take a deep breath and hide, and rest, and let the Lord speak to your soul in a language without words that can exist only in the silence of our hearts.

God bless you.

God will give you strength

Isaiah 40:28-31

Do you not know

  or have you not heard?

The Lord is the eternal God,

  Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary,

  his understanding is beyond scrutiny.

He gives strength to the fainting,

  and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Though youths shall faint and be weary,

  and the youths stagger and fall;

They who hope in the Lord will renew their strength,

  they will soar as with eagles’ wings,

They will run and not be weary

  walk and not grow faint.  (NAB translation)

By this point in December, a great many people are indeed exhausted. This is also a time of the year that many people find difficult, for any number of reasons.

Are you taking care of yourself? Are you giving yourself enough time—rather, are you giving the Lord enough time to have direct, unimpeded access to you? Remember to breathe consciously, to close your eyes for what I like to call a “minor moment” where you clear your mind for all the distractions that oppress you and simply realize that you are in the presence of God and that he is promising to do the things that Isaiah describes in this beautiful passage from the Book of Consolation.

Could you, perhaps, take the time to write out these words on an index card or slip of paper and keep it with you throughout the day? Could you even, perhaps, memorize this passage?

Could it possibly be that at least one word, one phrase in the text has something to say directly to you? If it does, claim it. Don’t worry about what kind of effect it will have in your life: don’t forget that God’s understanding, that his ways, are so far beyond our human understanding that we cannot possibly predict how he will work with us. Prepare to be surprised. Prepare to be delighted. Today.

We are touching here on a great mystery, one that we discussed a few days back. We are considering “the peace of God which surpasses human understanding.” May it be with you this day.

Don’t forget to close your eyes for a moment and breathe deeply. As often as you like. No matter how busy or distracted you may be. Today.

Blessed Advent to you!

Distractions, the Mass and Taoist principles

I got distracted for a few minutes yesterday during Mass, as everyone does at times. Meanwhile the Mass kept going along without my inner participation; it does keep flowing along and if we ”check out” by being distracted, we can always “return” when aware of the distraction. Just let it be, let it flow through you without getting stuck in you (or you getting stuck in it). If and when that happens no matter how often it happens, we are each welcomed back and can take up our places anew. IMHO, there is no need for reproach or self-reproach, no need for any guilt or blame or discouraging scrupulosity. We simply come back with a new awareness, a return to mindfulness, a return to the Now. We simply return and are blessed. It’s that simple.

More about distractions: there are several activities of the mind that serve to keep us distracted, off track, out of balance with the inner peace we are meant to have, that elusive state-of-being which a Taoist would call  harmony with the universe or harmony with Tao. These are some of those activities which keep us off balance: interests, habits, excuses, worry, stress, intellectualism, scheming and desires. Deng Ming-Dao notes that “it is inevitable that one will fall in and out of Tao.” I respect that realism, and it is what prompted my thoughts about distractions at Mass.

Smart Phone Idiocy

     So there I was yesterday in Boston, walking down the stairs to the T platform (red line), when I saw that the train was already at the station discharging passengers. If I hurried I could make it. So I tried. But there was a young guy in front of me who was walking very slowly and tentatively down the stairs and I couldn't get past him. Why was he walking slowly, you might ask? Because he was  reading.something.on.his.smart.phone!!!! and was oblivious to what was going on around him, not even noticing that the train was there just within reach if he would only pick up the pace.
     At least he wasn't driving a car at 70 mph. Those damn phones can be dangerous.
     I missed the train, by the way. Had to wait another 15 minutes. Thank God the train operator wasn't looking at his smart phone or he might have missed the station.

Creativity Blocker (This will probably be a series)

The damn computer. As useful and marvelous it can be, it also gives rise to so many distractions that it derails our creativity, productivity, focus, and ... (you fill in the blank). Case in point: While eating lunch, I had an inspiration for a book I'm working on, and fortunately, I immediately jotted it down in my little "idea book" which I always carry with me for just these moments.
     As soon as lunch was over, I ran over to my laptop so I could get working on the idea. But first, dammit, I had to check my e-mail. Three of the e-mails were about things that could have waited until the end of the weekend--nonetheless, I proceeded to take care of the things that were in the email. Result: momentum lost. Thank God I wrote the idea down before getting to the computer, otherwise that may have been lost as well.

Taking the High Road (part 2 of a series)

More about making creative decisions to "take the high road:" IMHO, we need to know ourselves well in order to make the kinds of distinctions and decisions that have an impact on the quality of our lives. For example:

• What are the activities, endeavors, hobbies,ways of thinking, conversations, etc., that get you on the high road. (We might also want to call this the "top line." Or else, give it a name that makes sense to you.)
• What are the distractions that keep us from engaging in top line living, thinking or doing?

Once we have a clearer picture (things never get totally clear, do they?), then we can begin asking ourselves more questions, such as

• Who inspires, encourages, becomes a part of our top line living? 
• Who are the people who serve to keep us stuck on the bottom, or who lead us to the bottom?

Knowing this can help us to opt for the higher way of living.  IMHO, of course.