Putting God in the Center of Life

Dear Friends,

Since Advent, I have concentrated almost exclusively on the meaning of the liturgical feasts and seasons in this weekly blog. These cover the soul-touching times in Jesus’ life, and we are the better for immersing ourselves in their richness.    

But now that summer is officially here, let’s shift our focus to the legacy of Jesus, as perceived in the writings and contemporary experiences of his followers.

Here are some elements to build into our summer lives or to improve upon.

Have more family meals this summer than you do during the fall/winter/spring seasons. Agree in your household to leave cell phones or other electronic devices elsewhere in the house. Say grace that invites everyone around the table to participate. Talk with one another about the day, new learnings, special moments. Initially, these meals may be a challenge, but they are worth it for the family’s sake and for our faith. Family meals are a prelude to/are practice for Eucharist when the whole community comes together to share the presence of God in Word and Sacrament.

Learn to look around you when you are out and about. Who is walking by? What is growing in the garden you pass? What sounds are in the air? Whom have we talked with today or whom have we ignored and why? Pope Francis clusters these ideas for consciousness under the heading of “culture of encounter.” When we really develop this culture in our lives, “no one is discarded or pigeonholed, but all are sought out because all are needed to reveal God’s face…The Holy Spirit impels us to go out from ourselves, from all that hems us in, from all the things we cling to…Blessed are they who believe and have the courage to foster encounter and communion.” (Pope Francis, Homily, May 31, 2019)

Weave into your day a dollop of prayer. Believers erroneously think we need always to pray in paragraphs or designated formal prayers. Trying brief, one-liners directed frequently to God-around-us and God-within-us also work. When we are walking toward our golf ball in the rough on the golf course, when there is a lull in conversation on the beach, when we are waiting in line at the ice cream shop, slip in a word to God.

Thank you, God, for this moment.

Awaken me to Your presence, O Lord.

Teach me Your ways, O God.

Bless everyone in this line, Lord.

And more. Make up your own prayer or repeat and savor all week-long a phrase you heard at Mass last weekend.

Finally, in this simple but profound to-do list, allow yourself daily summer silence when God can cradle you close and speak to your heart. Quiet your senses for a few moments early in the day or at night before sleep descends. Let go of the thoughts that scurry around your mind like so many mice. “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46.10)

Like a summer tan, work at putting God in the center of life in your own unique way.

~ Sister Joan Sobala