Thursday, September 08, 2005
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD!
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD!
Author Unknown
Sep 8, 2005
A woman was the mother of ten children, the wildest kids you could
imagine. The father traveled extensively in his work, so she was, for
all intents and purposes, raising these hellions alone. The poor
woman's life was unbearable.
A Sister from the local parish heard of her plight and called on her.
Seeing their small house and the behavior of the children, the nun's
heart went out to the poor woman. She tried to provide what little help
and support she could. Sister offered the woman a playpen that someone
had donated to the church. The distracted woman, who had never heard of
a playpen, nonetheless welcomed the gift.
Sometime later, Sister met the woman at church. With tears in her eyes,
the mother thanked her for the gift. "That playpen has saved my life!"
she said to Sister. "It's marvelous. Every afternoon at three o'clock,
I jump into the playpen with a book and the children can't get to me."
Like the poor harried mother, we all need that "out of the way" place
to re-center our lives on the things of God. Like Jesus, who rose at
dawn and went to a deserted place, we must create our own "out of the
way" place. An early morning hour before the rest of the house rises, a
brief visit to a church during lunch, the last few minutes each evening
before retiring. It can be a time for quiet prayer, for reading the
Scriptures, for offering the Liturgy of the Hours or for reflecting on
the words and insights of some of the great spiritual writers. Finding
that "out of the way" place, creating within our day that "sacred time"
to be alone with God can be the source of insight and grace that will
illuminate every place and moment of our lives.
In a Washington, D.C. cathedral there's a statue of Abraham Lincoln at
prayer. It's the work of artist Spencer Houk. Houk got his inspiration
for the statue from a story that his grandfather told over and over.
One day, he was walking through some woods in Gettysburg. Suddenly he
came upon a kneeling figure. It was President Lincoln. Lincoln was a
man of prayer.
"Meditation is not an escape from daily living, but rather a
preparation for it. Like pearl divers, meditators plunge deep into the
inner ocean of consciousness and hope to come swimming back to the
surface with jewels of great price." (Ardis Whitman)
PRAYER
"Lord Jesus, you came to save us from sin and the power of death. May I
always rejoice in your salvation and trust in your plan for my life".
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