Dear Friends,
The news shows last week showed a pilotless F-16 streaking
across the sky. It was being flown by remote control. A driverless car is on
the drawing boards. We can already buy a vacuum cleaner that moves by itself.
Motion detector lights have been available for some time. Drones, now used by
the military, will have uses in daily life, but remote control in the spiritual
life? It offers us nothing.
The spiritual life, i.e., our life with and in God requires
attentiveness, daily practice filling our lives with light, delight, awareness
that God is everywhere we are and want to be. Certainly our work offers the
world the best we can do, using our skills and education. Certainly, our hearts
are full of empathy for people caught up in the world’s tragedies. Certainly we
are breathless when we come upon beauty in nature and tenderness in human
relationships. All of these are rooted in God’s active presence in our lives.
Be sure of it. We are never alone or outside the embrace of our God.
God’s presence and love are not (I repeat) are not in
proportion to our attentiveness, but our inner being takes on new depth of
union with God when we are attentive.
So how do we learn to be less in remote control and more
mindful of God and the gifts of God? Road work ahead. Don’t continue to read
unless you have the desire to draw closer to God.
1.
Carry around with you in your heart all day long
one of the many short phrases Jesus utters in the Gospel. Chew on it. See how
it lives uniquely in you. Believe it. Live by it.
A few examples: If anyone asks you
to go a mile with them, go two. (Matthew 5.40)
Who do you say I am? (Luke 9.20)
Do you understand what I have done for you? (John 13.12)
There are many more. Find them. Make a list. Go over them often.
2.
The Celtic tradition encourages each person to
have an anam cara, a soul friend, a person who has a very special place in our
lives. A soul friend is a person who can share the ever deepening things of God
with us and we with them. Be slow to name someone your anam cara. This person is not just a buddy, a teammate,
a spouse or a family member, although (s)he could be one of these. A soul mate
loves God with you.
3.
The third part of growing in attentiveness to
God is to allow yourself a retreat day with God away from home once in a while.
Retreats often have a person who can help direct your thinking and praying. You
could do a retreat alone or with a group. One such group retreat coming up is at
the SSJ motherhouse on Saturday, October 19th. It’s open to whoever
wants to come. Go to the SSJ website for details, time and fee. It's called "Dive Deeper" under our Retreat Saturday programs.
Jesus. Be with me as I try to be attentive to You in my
daily life. Amen
~Joan Sobala, SSJ
