by Joan Mitchell, CSJ
Where do we find God? One common answer is deep within. How do we find God deep within? Common answers include time for solitude and silence, time to listen to one’s own aspirations and desperations apart from those of others in our lives. A retreat can help us sort what and who we really value or maybe we need a little time with a fishing hook in the water.
The man born blind in Sunday’s gospel finds God in a different place, in encounters with others outside himself. Explaining his new eyes to neighbors, teachers, and parents helps him find words to identify the man who gave him sight. He finds God in dialogue, in the space between us, where grace and amazement attend our efforts to bridge our separate selves and glimpse the mystery we each are.
Traditionally Lent is about fasting, eating less or maybe better. It’s about recognizing what drives us—to eat, spend, drink, gamble, veg, work too much. Fasting can help us break patterns and free our spirits to build healthier, holier lives and use neglected gifts.
Some of us may need to fast from friends or family who dump on us rather than deal with their problems or perhaps overestimate their closeness. Lent is the time for a spring cleanup that makes room for new life.
St. Ignatius, the founder of the Society of Jesus, encouraged his priests to use a simple, daily form of prayer called the Examen. It is an examination of the events and feelings we experience each day, an examination of consciousness, not conscience. It involves taking a short reflective time each day, usually evening. Sit quietly.
Step one. Remember the day. Who did I see and interact with? What did I hear? What did I feel? What energized me, led me toward life and love? Express gratitude to God. Families might simply share at dinner what each feels grateful for and what was hard.
Step two. Remember and feel any regrets in an event or interaction. Ask for God’s help. Over time pay attention to recurring feelings and insights and follow tugs toward more that God asks of you. It’s a way to see with new eyes like the man in Sunday’s gospel. Ask God’s help.
- What encounters or events keep surfacing in your reflective moments this Lent? Where do they point?