In last Sunday's homily, Father Arro reminded us not to be impatient, like the disciples who followed Jesus were initially. Impatience is practically endemic among urbanites for we are used to a fast pace of life that settles only for instant answers at a push of a button.
It was uncanny for I was just thinking about my own impatience the previous evening. Patience has never been my strong suit and it is to my regret that I have missed opportunities of grace due to my manic, task-oriented ways.
Because of impatience I have been rudely brusque, grouchy, stressed out, ungracious and inconsiderate. I morph into a robot focused on getting something done with disregard for others' feelings.
What's more, I am constantly on edge, unable to fully enjoy the present with the clock ticking inside my brain urging me on to the next destination on my list. I mark time instead of making time. There is scant opportunity to breathe and get lost in a moment of sublime grace.
As Father Arro pointed out, humans take time to grow physically, emotionally and spiritually. Life is a process, a journey, not a destination or a means to an end. Even Jesus took 30 years of preparation time before He began His ministry. We should, likewise, respect the process, our own personal life journey.
Although I know the key to working on my impatience and other personal shortcomings is to allow the Father to be my constant companion through every season, every day of my life, it is so easy to get caught up in the hamster wheel of life and jettison the painstaking cultivation of a God-centred disposition. Along with that goes the ability to wait patiently on God's time and I begin to go my own way, relying on my own will.
Whenever I choose to chuck God aside and dine on fast food of instant gratification and self-centred desires, life soon loses its flavour, it becomes meaningless, and sloth takes over inside of me. I lose the ability to find God in all things.
To find God in all things is at the core of Ignatian spirituality. Such sensitivity and exquisite awareness requires a mind and heart set on rhythms that operate on a different plane. Mindfulness - it's a much touted therapy today, but for many Christians, it is a way of life that helps us attain holiness.
Saint Ignatius knew that and his consciousness examen* helps yield an interior life that is resoundingly rich and independent of what happens in real life. The examen is a way for us to relive the day looking at it through God's eyes and to base our decisions on that inspired reality, free of our own prejudices, fears and weaknesses.
As Margaret Silf writes in Landmarks, transformation requires a radial journey inside to discover the truth or godseed. This radical change can only come with patience and constantly making time for the examen, for God, throughout the day. This is the heart of discernment. To know exactly what He wills.
It is only when I continually seek for God in my life that I am able to quell the impatience and let time unfurl as it will, enabling blossoms of grace to add fragrance and colour to my days.
When you find you are just racing through the day to get things done, do try and take a moment to stop, breathe, smile and say, "Thank you, Lord, I see you, Lord." In that moment, whatever you are doing will pale in significance to the moment that you meet Jesus face to face. In that moment, time will stand still.
Make time and you will find truth and life through God.
It was uncanny for I was just thinking about my own impatience the previous evening. Patience has never been my strong suit and it is to my regret that I have missed opportunities of grace due to my manic, task-oriented ways.
Because of impatience I have been rudely brusque, grouchy, stressed out, ungracious and inconsiderate. I morph into a robot focused on getting something done with disregard for others' feelings.
What's more, I am constantly on edge, unable to fully enjoy the present with the clock ticking inside my brain urging me on to the next destination on my list. I mark time instead of making time. There is scant opportunity to breathe and get lost in a moment of sublime grace.
As Father Arro pointed out, humans take time to grow physically, emotionally and spiritually. Life is a process, a journey, not a destination or a means to an end. Even Jesus took 30 years of preparation time before He began His ministry. We should, likewise, respect the process, our own personal life journey.
Although I know the key to working on my impatience and other personal shortcomings is to allow the Father to be my constant companion through every season, every day of my life, it is so easy to get caught up in the hamster wheel of life and jettison the painstaking cultivation of a God-centred disposition. Along with that goes the ability to wait patiently on God's time and I begin to go my own way, relying on my own will.
Whenever I choose to chuck God aside and dine on fast food of instant gratification and self-centred desires, life soon loses its flavour, it becomes meaningless, and sloth takes over inside of me. I lose the ability to find God in all things.
To find God in all things is at the core of Ignatian spirituality. Such sensitivity and exquisite awareness requires a mind and heart set on rhythms that operate on a different plane. Mindfulness - it's a much touted therapy today, but for many Christians, it is a way of life that helps us attain holiness.
Saint Ignatius knew that and his consciousness examen* helps yield an interior life that is resoundingly rich and independent of what happens in real life. The examen is a way for us to relive the day looking at it through God's eyes and to base our decisions on that inspired reality, free of our own prejudices, fears and weaknesses.
As Margaret Silf writes in Landmarks, transformation requires a radial journey inside to discover the truth or godseed. This radical change can only come with patience and constantly making time for the examen, for God, throughout the day. This is the heart of discernment. To know exactly what He wills.
It is only when I continually seek for God in my life that I am able to quell the impatience and let time unfurl as it will, enabling blossoms of grace to add fragrance and colour to my days.
When you find you are just racing through the day to get things done, do try and take a moment to stop, breathe, smile and say, "Thank you, Lord, I see you, Lord." In that moment, whatever you are doing will pale in significance to the moment that you meet Jesus face to face. In that moment, time will stand still.
Make time and you will find truth and life through God.
* To learn more, go to: http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/
No comments:
Post a Comment