Greetings, Sisters, Brothers and Friends of the Community!
Sometimes, as in recent weeks, I can get a bit lost in all the news of financial turmoil, tainted food, political and corporate corruption, and war. I get side-tracked and begin to feel that my spiritual energy plug somehow got kicked out of the wall socket, or it feels as though I am being pulled in one direction too many.
Eight years ago I got a copy of Thomas Merton’s “The Silent Life.” I return to this book every so often, and read not only his words, but also the notes I made in the margins about my thoughts at the time. In a way, it is like revisiting an old journal to see what issues and challenges I was wrestling with at the time.
Apparently I have felt somewhat “diffused” in the past, too, because certain sections of the book relating to ‘being lost’ were heavily underlined. Once again I was reminded that when we lose our spiritual connection to God we can begin to feel a little ‘diffused’ and ‘exhausted,’ even to the point of misery. “A person,” writes Merton, “cannot go on happily for long unless s/he is in contact with the springs of spiritual life which are hidden in the depths of his/her own soul.” Without this connection, Merton adds, the person becomes a kind of automaton, living without joy, being bounced around like a billiard ball by all the stuff that happens throughout the day.
How can we get the plug back into the spiritual wall socket? How can we reconnect with the inner voice of God that speaks to us in a heart whisper? For me, returning to the well-springs of life periodically throughout the day helps me keep life in perspective and prevents me from being left to the mercy of modern society. The best way for me to so this is by building my day around a framework of the Daily Offices, meditation, and periods of solitude and silence. Doing this may necessitate somewhat reduced contact with the ‘outside world,’ but there is a balance to be sought. What little things do I do during the course of a day that I can forego, so that I can spend the needed amount of time being with God and getting ‘recharged’ by Him? A little less TV? A little less radio? One less club or group meeting? Trimming back on a lot of the little things often gives me the time I need to get back on track. These times of ‘aloneness with God’ become precious and enjoyable!
Please remember your daily prayer times! Not only will they change you, they will also change the world.
Know that you are loved by God, and are only a plug away!
Brother Daniel-Joseph
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