Sometimes, not that often, we get to experience the feeling our life is drifting on. Not out of control, like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride*, but rather ebbing to and fro like the ocean tide.
I must admit not having experienced this feeling myself for very long. Personally, I am a bit of meddler, and even if things are going along smoothly, will always be seeking some new challenge, excitement, or meaning in what is happening. Occasionally though, the wonder of just “being” comes over me in a daily routine and that wondrous drifting effect comes over me.
Moments and experiences like this are the downtime and peace we can enjoy merely resting in Christ. These are the reassurances we need when turmoil has been surrounding the hours and we are called to take a walk on the beach; metaphorically speaking at least.
These calming moments are often given to us as a gift, something occurs that causes us to move into “neutral”, neither moving forward nor backward, just sitting where we are. The references to these moments are multifold in scripture, as are the many times when God just calls us to do the same. To remain in Him.
I was talking to a friend this week about a contemplative retreat where they experienced centering prayer, then a silent walk in the gardens, and a second silent centering prayer session to follow. This contemplative “sandwich” made me recognize how much a walk somewhere without an agenda, purpose or even intention can be a wonderful way of experiencing a drifting prayer.
Where the encounter happens is timeless because we are not focused on timing the event. Just the desire to rest in Him.
Drifting in Prayer
TOWARDS THE LIGHT
Moving from the gray to the light seemed inevitable;
As the darkness dissipates as if it was never there.
And eyes adjust to a new way of looking;
Squeezing the daylight out once more.
Leaving the dark place behind.
*From the Children’s book Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Image, Reflection and Poem Ó 2024 Michael J. Cunningham OFS
Why are we here? For Christians and those of many other faiths, the answers to this question are often found deep in our religion, or the values associated with that religious path. The values associated with those inform us about who made us why we are here and how we’re supposed to live our lives. Increasingly for many in the population of the United States, these questions are not answered by many religious paths.
This group has become known as Spiritual But Not Religious, or None-affiliated individuals. This makes up almost a third of the US population according to a recent Pew Research Study. This, however, can be a little alarming for those associated with a religious path, but in many cases, the NONEs values are very similar, just the path they want to reach is not via organized religion for whatever reason. They are, as are most of us, still spiritual searchers, looking for meaning and purpose in our lives. Modern Paganism perhaps illustrates this in a most vivid way, where individuals looking for meaning can search for the God(s) that make the most sense for their spiritual journey of the time, and then provide an exploration path for their spiritual lives. This is because there are so many Gods, you can search and find the one(s) that speak to you. It is in this speaking that we all embark on what we call pilgrimage in our lives. Don’t assume that because someone is on a different path to you, that they don’t know where they are going, or their lives are any less meaningful. For it is often on pilgrimage, that this meaning, or the clues to it, are found.
In the early days of Christianity, Christians were not known specifically as Christians. They were just followers of Christ, the followers of what was known as The Way. The way that had been played out by the mission of Jesus Christ. This search for the way continues in the real world today as we look for meaning. To track down this meaning we often try and find some way to break with either the business of the world or its chaos (sometimes both) which represents our everyday life. One way that we do this is by identifying a pilgrimage as a specific break, or a more specific activity that you’re using to try and find that dispensation fish that is going to splash the meaning into your life.
These events or mini journeys maybe some form of a trip or relaxation where you take some time to think, even for a short period of time, such as reading this reflection. Pilgrimages can be small or large, perhaps your trip to the therapist can be considered a pilgrimage of sorts, attending Sunday services, some quiet time with a friend, or even walking the dog! The longer ones are considered with greater discernment. Some of these take the form of sabbaticals (for those lucky enough to get one), or even take the ultimate Christian walk (The Camino in France and Spain). The bottom line is they come in many shapes and forms. They all, even the smaller ones have something in common. The intention.
When we take a break, a break with a purpose, with an intention, it morphs into this spiritual pilgrimage. We need some downtime, some rest, some without distraction time where we can untangle the sometimes-tangled fishing line of events in our lives. To explore with intention, but without trying to lead ourselves too much. In a results-orientated society, we are always looking for a result. Do we want inner peace? Of course. Want to be calmer and more reasoned? Of course? Can we conjure that up by announcing inner peace to ourselves? I don’t think so. How well does that work when you tell someone else to calm down?
No. Pilgrimage is both a small and a large event. It’s a series of our intentions and journeys to find meaning, to find out what we are supposed to be doing, or to affirm what we have done. It is us talking to the One within who loves us. The One who gave us love. The One who is love.
Whether we recognize the creator within, who made us all, it is there that the inner peace resides. Regardless of faith or religious path, we are always drawn to Him. But only when we let go and let the divine that is within us all leak out, with love and peace, can we truly benefit from our pilgrimage. The big pilgrimage. Life itself.
Intention
The Intention
Dig deeper in that hole,
And find the treasure,
the depth,
past rocks and water,
and reach true intention.
“And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit.”
Romans
Reflection, Poem and Image Copyright 2024 Michael J. Cunningham OFS
What does WAIT mean? The acronym that is. It means why am I talking?Everyone must have got into a situation at some point or another when you know you’ve got to say something, or you feel you have to say something, but you haven’t fully thought it through, but you say it anyhow.
Some of you may be aware of my Irish background. The Irish are many things, but one of the things that we’re well known for is conversation. While growing up I could always remember the buzz around our family table, in particular, when we had my cousin visiting, who could talk about seemingly relevant issues at the speed of an Alabama auctioneer.
The result was fast forward, fast thinking, and interaction around whatever the conversation points were. Everyone would be injecting, or trying to inject, their perspective. For the most part though, when my cousin Norma (God rest her soul) was present, she prevailed. When I think of those times and those conversations, it always makes me consider the phrase “couldn’t get a word in edgewise” was invented by the Irish.
This love of conversation is of course wonderful and amusing all at the same time. However, when we take it out of the loving jovial context that often remained in the conversations around the dinner table, and into a more serious environment some other rules apply.
Conversation of course is interaction between others, which typically requires listening, discerning, or deciding what the response might be to a particular point, and then interjecting accordingly. Of course, when we know we have a few people together the dynamics change, and when we have new people together, people that may not have met each other, and the context of said meeting there’s a lot of unspoken dynamics at work. Am I trying to impress the other people, am I trying to sell them something, am I just giving them information so they can decide for themselves, am I looking for others’ opinions, am I making a statement, am I issuing a rule or instruction, are we praying together? … the list is long and extensive. The way that we enter a conversation often determines what we’re going to say and how we’re going to say it.
People do this not just through words, but their body language, disposition, and perhaps even some hierarchy of age or wisdom or authority that affects all these things. What has all of this to do with the title of this reflection? Wait a moment or two.
Back to my Irish heritage. When engaged in conversation, and if I haven’t been involved for a while, or perhaps don’t have anything constructive to say aside from affirmation, which can be done by head nodding or other means, I do find myself wanting to talk, to say something to interject, even if it’s just to show that I’m there, I’m present, see me, hear me. Some might say this is part of my character, yes, it is. But that doesn’t necessarily make it right. And the acronym that came up this week during a meeting of WAIT has spawned this reflection.
In Group sharing situations this is particularly important to ensure that everyone gets a reasonable amount of airtime. If one person is holding on to the talking stick for too long, they don’t get to hear the wisdom from the person who’s been quietest. Who is also probably the person who’s done the most listening? And therefore, may have done the most discerning or thinking about the topic at hand.
Why am I talking? I’m sure we can all recall situations where we started to say something, to contribute, which is not well thought through, or in the worst case just a pure interruption to someone else in the group. And when I say group, this can just be two people, where one person has to dominate the conversation regardless.
Asking ourselves the question silently (that is without talking out loud) why am I talking can help bring us to some reflection. Did I need to say that at that time? Should I listen a little longer, with a bit more intention before responding? The answer to that question is an undoubted yes in many cases.
A Passionist priest whom I met for a short period before he passed always amazed me in the few meetings, I had with him. He would sit quietly absorbing what was going on in the meeting, or might even appear to be disinterested, but trust me he was listening.
Father Mike Houlihan was his name, and at the time was living in a Passionist community in Sierra Madre CA.
After experiencing a few of these meetings with Father Mike, I noticed that when he did speak up, he would have something relevant to say, sometimes so relevant it tied up the conversation and its outcome in a neat bow.
So, I asked Father Mike “I notice that you don’t say much in these meetings why is that?” I inquired with my innate Irish verbosity. Without missing a beat, Father Mike replied: “If you have something to say it should be two things, one it should be the truth and the second is it should be important”. These words resonated with me, and when I heard the weight acronym “Why am I talking” this week it made me think of Father Mike again.
Perhaps all three of these things are important, the truth, the relevance or importance, and a head check to see if I am talking just for the sake of talking. So, perhaps during the next week, we can consider the WAIT acronym, particularly when we start talking involuntarily, without a good purpose or intention.
Perhaps WAIT is the way that we see if our intentions are good before talking, and this may be the best guide of all.
Add Ten Seconds
Add ten seconds to each moment,
And my response would be better,
kinder, warmer, more forgiving,
than my first.
But can I ever be as loving as He is to me?
A Garden Full of Conversations
Poem, Image and Reflection Copyright 2024 Michael J. Cunningham
One of the things I like to do as a pastime is photography. And one of my favorite things to photograph is water. I have spent many years taking photographs of the ocean and reflections, but more recently, I’ve taken to photograph rivers.
Our eyes can’t see the river’s motion in the same way that a camera does. We see a different view of the water when we slow the camera down by controlling the shutter speed. The fluidity of the water takes a shape of its own. One that we can’t discern by the naked eye. The colors and the shapes take on their own forms based on how they pass over the rocks. Creating streams within a stream. The resulting image, as the one shown here, becomes almost abstract.
Meaning is implied differently than just a straight recording, or snapshot, of the water as we see it.
For me, these natural images also illustrate how things are in our minds and soul at times. The eternal nature of the river, or so it seems, makes us think differently. The water that passes in front of us, perhaps passed there for generations before, making its way to homes, fields, and gardens, and then eventually the ocean. So a cycle of replenishment and nourishment and movement is shown.
Another observation from this image presented to me is one of a river full of thoughts. In contemplative prayer circles, we spend much time trying to simplify our thought process. Trying to quieten our mind down, focusing on just resting, taking on the mind of Christ, cradling ourselves in his arms, attempting to move ourselves from the everyday distractions.
John Cassian, 3rd century desert father, tried the same thing. He left the city to avoid distractions and temptations for the desert, only to find himself bombarded by a river full of thoughts once the secular temptations were removed from his presence. it is often the case when we try to quieten down, perhaps in silent prayer, attending a retreat, visiting our favorite sacred space, we encounter this initial river full of thoughts.
In the centering prior tradition, when we feel this way, the method tells us to not try to reject these thoughts, engage with them, or remove them, but rather just let them pass by, like the water in the picture. Letting them go by slowly, beautifully, and consciously by just saying a single simple word indicating our commitment to return to Christ.
You know everyday life, when we feel overwhelmed and overcome by the river of thoughts and the ensuing decisions we face, it may make sense to go the way of the image in the picture. To slow down, to discern, to have God involved in the decision-making process, just as God is the instigator and contemplative prayer, and all our lives may be a little calmer, more peace-filled, and rewarding.
God Bless, Michael
Thoughts
Passing by,
At the rate of sixty thousand a day,
But who is counting;
There are just too many.
Mostly distractions,
Leaving as fast as they came,
Not slamming the door,
But rather taking a sneak peak of my soul,
And leaving without a goodbye,
Hustled out in a crowd,
Only looking forward.
Then the leaders come,
A different color,
Waving a flag,
Shouting notice me,
Or you may regret it.
… If you let me go.
These are the ones which make up our conscious,
The unwilling to daydream,
Thoughts who want to form us,
From wherever they came.
These lit up thoughts,
Are hard to extinguish.
Yet, this is my must.
For otherwise my true self cannot be presented,
And offered up without agenda.
Reflection, poem and Photograph copyright 2024 Michael J. Cunningham OFS
Much has been said for many years since the death of Martin Luther King. Some individuals are called to do great things in their lives. I recall the timing of his death as memorable, as I did when Jack Kennedy was killed. This might not be surprising for you all as American citizens, but bear in mind I was growing up in England when this happened.
The same spark he lit in people for justice and love with fairness resonated with me during my teen years. Someone standing up for what is right and willing to be disobedient to ensure everyone understood he would not stand for it.
Who does this remind you of in scripture?
Yes, Jesus Christ was a rebel in his own time. He would not stand for the double standards of the Pharisees; the moneychangers in the Temple and those willing to stone the adulteress. He stood up for the downtrodden but also put down those who stood in judgment of others without compassion, understanding, love, and justice.
This always gives us the opportunity to reflect on how difficult it is to operate as a Christian in our divided world. The sacrifice of Dr. King illustrates how far some are willing to go to ensure the voice of equality is not just heard but exercised.
It makes me consider if I am really sticking up for the disenfranchised and others who need help? Am I doing enough to make a Christian voice heard in a wilderness of divisiveness that envelopes much of the conversation today?
Dr. King reminds us all of the greatest love of all. The willingness to lay down your life for a friend. (John 15:13) In Dr. King’s case, he also did it for many who perhaps were not his friend at the time.
