Friday after Epiphany
It just always feels like there’s so much work to do. Yes, we both work full-time and have three (soon to be four) young kids, but beyond our careers and family life, there is so much work to do in our community, in our country, and in our world. There are so many needs, tragedies and instances of injustice… and so little time. I often feel this sense of tension, especially when the needs of our brothers and sisters are so vast and so immediate to their quality of life, that it seems we must do something now. I fall into the false thinking that there is no time to just sit and pray because I must act. But as we see from today’s Gospel, and from the wisdom of Jesus and Mary throughout their lives, we cannot divorce contemplation and action. Our Gospel tells about both Jesus’ miracle of curing the leper AND about how he withdraws to deserted places to pray. Following this model, we must maintain a healthy balance of praying and acting, listening in the silence and responding to the crowds. How can we balance both action and prayer as two equally integral parts of our faith?
As we enter a new year, many people set new goals, often with a desire to create more balance in their lives, whether that means taking better care of themselves physically, spiritually, or in relationships. We enter a new year with a hope for balance and peace amid the chaos and noise of our lives. Perhaps this desire for balance speaks to our hunger for God and our own desire to withdraw to a deserted place to pray. In many of his books, Matthew Kelly talks about how powerful prayer is in our lives and how important it is to even just spend a few minutes each day sitting in a holy place. Even if this seems impossible on some days given our work or family lives, or our continued quarantine and isolation, are there moments in the day when we can just stop to recognize God’s grace moving in our lives?
As an example, meals in our house can be chaotic. It takes quite a while for our 6, 4, and 2 year olds to sit down with their hands washed, toys off the table, and food on their plates. Inevitably, every time we were finally ready to pray, someone had to take a drink or was already chewing a bite. So we started a new routine. We have a set rotation of who gets to “lead” prayer. The leader starts by checking with each person to make sure he/she is ready and then says the first few words of the prayer before the rest of us join in. It is less than 60 seconds, but it is powerful to watch our kids with their hands folded and their bodies still, sharing in a moment of prayer. Then we quickly re-enter the chaos, with the next words out of our mouths being “please sit still”, “stop spitting at your brother””, “do not get out of your chair”, or “don’t just eat ranch dressing!”
Even if it is just for a minute or two here and there, even if it is not a deserted place, when are the moments when you can take a breath and reconnect with God? Perhaps this new year, we can focus on being more fully present, both responding to calls of action, and recognizing small moments of grace throughout our day.
- LeeAnn Meyer