Dear Friends,
For many of us, life is slowly returning to a more normal routine and for others, life remains a place of quarantine because we are part of an “at risk” group. Either way, we continue to find ourselves with “extra time” on our hands because we are not working as much as we did in the recent past. That can be something of a blessing or a curse depending on how you end up using that time. It could be used to get more rest and exercise, or it could be used to eat more and stare at the television. As is often pointed out, everything is good in moderation but when we do too much of any one thing it usually ends up hurting us.
I hope that one thing you are doing more of is praying. I hope that you have been able to turn off the noise – computer, television or any other distraction – and sit quietly with God. If you find prayer challenging because you need some focus and simply sitting with God ends up being a time for daydreaming, then might I suggest doing the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius during your quiet time each day. Creighton University has a “retreat” online where you are given a guide for prayer for each day. You can find it at their website in the Collaborative Ministry section. It takes the 30-day retreat of Ignatius and extends it into a daily experience for more than 30 weeks.
Let me give you a sample. The retreat begins with a reflection on what St. Ignatius called the First Principle and Foundation. Here it is:
“People are created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save their soul; the other things on the face of the earth are created for people to help them in attaining the end for which they are created.
Consequently, people are to make use of them in so far as they help them in the attainment of their end, and they must rid themselves of them in so far as they prove a hindrance to them. Therefore, we must make ourselves indifferent to all created things, as far as we are allowed free choice and are not under any prohibition.
Consequently, as far as we are concerned, we should not prefer health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to dishonor, a long life to a short life. The same holds true for all other things. Our one desire and choice should be what is more conducive to the end for which we are created.”
I suggest that you sit with that text in your quiet time and see if you hear God speaking to you through this text. Maybe a word or a concept will strike you. Perhaps Ignatius’ use of “indifference” may strike you. Indifference means inner freedom. It is the capacity to sense and then embrace what is best, even when it goes against our inclinations. It means being so in love with our ultimate goal that we are willing to sacrifice what is necessary to attain it.
The online retreat will give you scriptural texts to help you pray each day and discover deeper meaning. For example, the great story of Exodus in the Old Testament might become for you a powerful example of how God formed people through the desert experience to value what really mattered and only then were ready to receive the Promised Land.
The weather is warming up, so you might do the prayer on your front porch or sitting in your back yard. You can pray while enjoying your morning coffee or an afternoon cup of tea. The only thing that is necessary is finding a place without distractions where you can focus on you and waste some time with God.
Doing the retreat during these COVID-19 days will bring blessings to your spiritual life. Try it!
Peace,
Fr. Damian