Essays - Spring, 2008
by Randy Roche, SJ

Below is a title and brief description of each essay. To read the essay, click on the title.

Peace - We can foster peace for ourselves and others, though we cannot force it either as a feeling or as a reality.

Love and Fear - The only limitation on God’s love is what we place on it.

Memory - Memory is quite powerful, and not wholly under our control.

A Mother - The power of all love is never by coercion, but is always a free gift.

Holy Selfishness - Holy selfishness is quite compatible with self-sacrifice.

Wholly Spirit - When we act out of love, in small matters as well as great, we are the recipients of inspiration; we act “in the Spirit.”

The Top of Our Heads - Our hearts have a closer relationship with our thoughts than the bond that hydrogen and oxygen atoms have in water molecules.

Rules and Ideals - It is not easier to live more by the spirit than by law.

Beach Banquet - All of our meals now are occasions that prepare us for the banquet feast of heaven.

What Do You Expect? - When we pray, we engage the most helpful means for understanding and modifying our expectations: hope.

Wind, Breath, and Spirit - Breathing exercises can easily become prayer.

Saving Time - It takes time for us to gain experience in the ways that we go about saving time.

Smiles - God smiles at us all the time. If we want to, we can smile back.

God’s Business - Our busyness can at times interfere with our true business.

Peace

Some people seek peace for themselves and consider world peace as one of the greatest goals possible for humanity. Others do not like the word, associating it with defeat, inactivity, of some other negative concept.

Peace is certainly desirable for those who suffer because of violent conflicts, while peace is of little importance for those who gain money or power for themselves as a consequence of wars and the use of force. But peace is not just the absence of war. Conflicts between or within nations arise from conflicts between love and hate in the hearts and minds of people. Plans, actions, and words directed towards the harm of others cannot exist in those who are at peace internally with God. Peace of heart is a resonance with the Spirit of God; the absence of peace reveals dissonance with God’s abiding presence within us.

Peace is not the opposite of purposeful action. We might abstain from activity for a time so as to achieve inner peace, as when we meditate or pray, but our subsequent actions will be properly focused. Those whose every moment is occupied with various pursuits or interactions are often moved by unexamined and unrecognized forces that are inimical to their well-being and that of others. Taking time to choose only those actions that are in accord with our relationship with God is one sure way to experience peace even though we are occupied with many activities. As individuals, we experience peace when we look within ourselves and find that there is no conflict between what we believe and what we do.

When we experience an absence of peace, the disturbance within can be a very helpful indicator, pointing out a problem in need of healing or change. For example, we might feel conflicted while we are bearing in mind two different options. The unease we feel might lead us to carefully examine the pros and cons of the issue we are considering, and to seek God’s help to arrive at a resolution that is in keeping with our values. When we make the right decisions, peace follows.

We can foster peace for ourselves and others, though we cannot force it either as a feeling or as a reality. We might refrain from external engagements, but still have our heads and hearts filled with conflicting thoughts and emotions. On the other hand, we readily experience peace in the midst of conflict, challenges, and suffering when we are doing the right thing for the right reason. Peace is not merely a physic state of being, but an inner sense of confident assurance that we are where we belong at this moment in our lives. God abides with us in our reality, not “what might be.” Many of us come home quite tired after a full day of activity, but when we reflect for a moment and become aware of how appropriately we have been using our gifts of mind, body, and heart, we recognize that we are at peace.

Peace is an interior disposition, a gift of the Holy Spirit that is quite different from a spirit that projects anger, and is manifested by accusation and attack. The violence not only of actions, but of words and attitudes that are consistently expressed in many “talk radio” and T.V. news and entertainment programs are wholly contrary to peace of mind and heart in hearers and viewers. People who are stirred up with negative thoughts and emotions are readily disposed to use violence as a means to a false “peace” which they are incited to seek through the destruction of reputations and then the lives of others.

As Creator, God is always active, but never destructive. When we pray for peace we do not just ask for an end to war, but for changes in our hearts and attitudes. When our decisions bring peace to us because they are directly related to God’s desires in us and for us, we will then be at peace with one another. If any two of us fully accept that God loves both of us, peace is surely one bond that we will experience together.

We have the capability of communicating peace to others. “Peace” is a word of greeting that we might use at times, but it is especially an intention we can direct towards others as a real blessing. Our desires for the well-being of family members, friends and associates, and any people we choose can be conveyed by our tone of voice and the expressions on our faces. The peace that we want for others is also a gift of God: a witness to God’s healing presence in the midst of every reality of life.

Peace be with you.
 

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Love and Fear

“Perfect love casts out fear.” (I John 4:18) Though our love is limited, God, whose love is perfect, can and will cast fear out of our lives.

We all experience anxious moments and perhaps fear of loss, of pain, of change, or of losing control. Fear is never welcome in itself. Yet, every great and small movement of apprehension can serve as a built-in sensor that give us warnings, like the lights on the dashboard of a car. We need to pay attention to manifestations of fear when they arise within us, but we do not want to be ruled by our feelings. We will decide for ourselves whether or not we need to take action. The alerts we receive from our feelings are healthy reminders of our human weaknesses, but are not obstacles to the exercise of our spirituality.

Fear is not, or should not be, a problem in itself. We do not mistake the siren of an emergency vehicle as being more important than the proximity and purpose of a police car, fire truck, or ambulance. When we investigate the source of our anxiety, we can give it whatever attention it deserves, and, having addressed the source of our uncomfortable feelings, they will dissipate. If we were to directly attack our feelings, as if there was something wrong with them, we would do ourselves harm. Rather, we seek creative solutions for the implied or real threats that are indicated by the presence of fear.

When we become aware of fear, dread, alarm, apprehension, or anxiety, we can ask God to cast it out, believing that in the process, we will be empowered to get past the causes of the feelings, even if the object of our concern does not go away. Our reliance upon God’s love for us is often the difference between being engrossed in negative reactions or moving towards satisfying resolutions. Quite often, when we seek God’s help to deal with frightening challenges, we first gain some insight into the root causes of the disturbance that grips our minds and hearts. Then, as we bring these into the presence of Love, we experience a change in perspective, and a lessening of the feelings that trouble us.

Fear is a feeling, and feelings pass. When they are gone, it is as though they never there. Love abides; love does not come to an end. Fear cannot cast out love, though it surely can capture our attention for a period of time. If we focus on the feelings of fear, they continue, and perhaps become more intense. If we look for the source or cause, and bring that to the Lord, we open ourselves to that helpful intervention which is exactly appropriate and perfectly adapted to our present need. God’s love for us is infinite. The only limitation on God’s love is what we place on it. So the surest, best response to everything from a bout of panic to a vague sense of unease is to turn to God.

Perfect love casts out fear.
 

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Memory

All of us have formed many of the habits that help us to successfully negotiate life through the use of our memory. Even though we are sometimes frustrated when we cannot remember a name or a fact, our memories continue to serve us quite well as their effects carry on through the skills that we developed, whether recently or long ago. Memory is for us much more than the total of memories that we can recall.

Our memories are uniquely ours. No one else has the same set of memories, and no one else has had either the set of experiences that have entered our memories or the order in which we have had them. Further, we have counted some events as memorable and others as forgettable. We have consciously chosen to remember selected details, such as names, phone numbers, and passwords. We also have memories of occurrences that we would prefer to forget. Like soldiers who have returned from war, we have witnessed some events that remain in our memories though we do not welcome the intense feelings that are evoked when they come to mind. Memory is quite powerful, and not wholly under our control.

We deal with life as it comes to us or we become depressed if we use denial as a futile defense. We handle memories as they come to us, or we push them away from consciousness into our unconscious, where they often cause interior illness.

Painful memories can be healed, so that their negative influence is no longer a factor in our lives. When we are ready, God’s Spirit might bring to mind a memory that we were not aware we had. At this time in our lives, we might have the strength, experience, and support that we did not have at the time the painful event occurred. In our conscious relationship with God, we can face an event that had once been too hurtful or confusing to recall. Sometimes we might also seek the assistance of a human listener. The gift and grace of healing of memories almost always involves some pain in the remembering, but the movement is from the past, through the present and into a future where the event no longer has the power of a fearsome monster thought to be under the bed or in the closet.

To receive healing is not the only or primary motive for bringing our own particular memories to God. By attending to what we recall of our day, for example, and doing so consciously in the presence of God, the memories become an important shared intimacy, rather than “private property.” In addition, if we spend some brief quality time allowing the more significant aspects of our day to come to mind – often those which have some feelings attached – we can sort those we count as helpful, positive, and to be repeated, from those we recognize as neither helpful nor appropriate for us, and not to be repeated. After spending a few minutes of allowing memories to arise for our review in the presence of Our Friend, we might choose to write what we have learned in a journal. No matter what we find in making our review, memory is a gift that enables us to make changes to the decisions and actions of the future.

Memory can also help us to recognize the movements of God’s Spirit within us. If, for example, our memories are frequently of little failures that are repeated without improvement in some area of our lives, we might recognize that we are not able, on our own, to make ourselves better. An insight into powerlessness can serve as a reminder to seek recognition of that area of our lives where God is enabling, encouraging, and supporting our growth. Our use of memory is better focused on success rather than failure. We can ask God to lead us, through our use of memory, to affirm the thoughts, insights, decisions and actions that the Spirit has opened for us and that we accepted. When we see the direction that the Wind is blowing, we can more confidently put our energy there. As a consequence, either the constant little failures we had noticed will diminish in frequency without our direct attention, or they will remain, but no longer have significance for us as we concentrate on responding to the invitations, graces, and inspirations that God provides for us.

Memory – a gift that enables us to recognize all other gifts.
 

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A Mother

Jesus has a mother, as each of us has a mother. We are always daughters and sons of our mothers and fathers, no matter what our age or present connection with our parents. We did not create ourselves. We were born. Our lives are now in our own hands, although we know that we must have been sufficiently cared for in the early part of our lives for us to have become the persons we are now.

Jesus, as God, did choose of whom to be born, and when and where to be born. But he was born as we were born – in need of everything, capable of nothing except to express needs and to be nurtured. Having a mother was God’s commitment to becoming completely one with us in our humanity. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the guarantee and the prime witness for us that Jesus is fully human.

Jesus still has a mother. Jesus, in his Risen body, is still the son of Mary, though he is also God, creator of all human beings and of all else that exists. Jesus is outside of time, and so is his mother. Some of us have parents who are now outside of time, but we remain within the limitations of our very time-centered lives. The bonds of love we have and can have with Jesus and his mother are of a different kind than the relationships we have with our parents, whether they are living or deceased.

All love is of God, whether it be between parents and children, friends, those for whom we have some responsibility, or those with whom we interact in passing. The care that the mother of Jesus has for us is another of the many manifestations of God’s love for us. We have been invited, enabled, and chosen to be brothers and sisters of Jesus. As such, we are the subjects not only of Jesus’ personal love for each of us, but of the mother of Jesus as well.

When we enter the home of a friend, his or her mother might lavish attention on us. Our friend is certainly not jealous, but understands well the expansive love of “mom” that reaches out to her children’s friends. Jesus loves his mother, and is pleased when we let her, and ask her at times, to be mother to us.

We can ask God for help at any time, and should; “Ask and you shall receive.” We can ask the mother of Jesus too, just as we can ask help from one another. The ultimate source of all goodness is the same God, who made us in his image to be social, interactive, and sharing all we have and are in love. So we are welcome to receive from Mary, the mother of Jesus, help with praying, and help with every human concern of ours that a mother might respond to at one time or another.

Mary continues mothering the brothers and sisters of Jesus by anticipating our needs, and does for us much of what we cannot yet do for ourselves, just as our parents and parent-figures have done or do for us. Much of this love is hidden from our consciousness, but affects us positively nonetheless. If we would like to experience the qualities of this relationship with Jesus’ mother, we have only to ask her directly, and attend to the results, just as we should do when we ask God for anything – expect and notice the changes for the better that occur within us and about us.

The power of all love is never by coercion, but is always a free gift. Who am I to refuse any of God’s powerful love available to me from his mother, or mine, or perhaps, a friend’s?
 

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Holy Selfishness

We spend much time and effort on behalf of a variety of persons, whether in direct or indirect service, from setting the table at home to putting in a day of work. We do not make ourselves the center and focus of all that we think and do all day. Self-preoccupation cannot fulfill us, nor can it bring us happiness. But without a proper care for ourselves, we will have nothing to offer for the sake of others.

Love of neighbor is just about impossible without love of self. Those who do not believe that they are loved can perform deeds of kindness or assistance to others in imitation of role models, but they usually have little inner joy or enthusiasm to support habits of helpfulness. When we accept that we are loved, we respond naturally by loving others. If we desire to make a positive difference in the lives of others, we need to stay in touch with our own experiences of receiving attention, respect, and love.

Our capacity to help others depends upon the belief that we are worthy of love. We can doubt that anyone, including God, can love us; we can refuse to accept it, we can focus on a negative self-image, take on a mind-set of false guilt, and otherwise deny the presence of honest loving regard that comes our way. Or, with an attitude of holy selfishness, we can decide to take in all that is offered us, not just for our sake, but for those we will be enabled to love.

With some honest reflection, we might wonder who could really love us as we are, with our flaws, weaknesses, and habits that we do not approve of in ourselves. But honesty requires that we respect and love ourselves as God and others love us, not based on our goodness or our good deeds, but on the mysterious and undeserved choice by which we are loved.

We have reason for making a daily inventory of signs that God loves us. We should let God do what God wants to do. We honor God if we accept “being picked for the team” rather than to refuse, on the grounds that we are not good enough. In letting God love us directly and through others, we find energy and motivation to love both God and neighbor.

Love of God is an “acquired taste,” no matter how strongly the concept might have been presented to us. As we come to acknowledge the experiences in our lives that manifest God’s love for us, our interest grows in responding, in loving back. If we are good friends with parents, we are usually well-disposed to their other family members. As we grow in our love for God, we will grow in love of God’s family members, our neighbors.

Holy selfishness is quite compatible with self-sacrifice. Becoming consciously aware of the extent to which we are loved leads us out of ourselves to spontaneously and courageously take care of the needs of others, even at cost to ourselves. God’s goodness overflows into our being created in His own image. All the goodness we can find within ourselves – the love with which we are loved – will, in our human expressions, benefit others as the positive results of our holy selfishness.


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Wholly Spirit

Red is the color of power and action. It is associated with the energy of anger, but especially love, including the Pentecostal love of God and neighbor. Red is also the color of fire, as in the “tongues of fire” that symbolize the Holy Spirit. The love of God is all-powerful, but this love is a Person rather than a verb, and so the Holy Spirit is also depicted as a pure and gentle white dove. We cannot, no matter how many images and metaphors we might try, come close to describing the reality of divine love.

Love is powerful among us, literally stronger than death. Valentines and red hearts represent the passion of romantic love, which can lead to life-long bonds. Love as more-than-emotion is universally recognized in all relationships of families, friends, business associates, and organizations. When people accept challenges and even endure suffering for the sake of others, we see love. All love for others as well as for ourselves is of God, and therefore also of spirit. Love transcends death, because God, who is Love, is God of the living, not of the dead.

We do not always think about or recognize the spiritual component of our love, especially when emotions are involved. Neither those who are deeply in love nor those who have discovered their deepest desire to engage in some life-path are necessarily aware of their immediate connection with God. To imagine that anything originating in us could have eternal consequences might seem presumptuous. But we did not invent the reality of love. When we love, we participate in an activity of God’s that is expressed in our human words and deeds.

We can readily observe the spiritual power of love in some visible actions, as when someone donates a part of his or her body for someone in need. Such a deed goes beyond anything that can be required, and is not subject to any rule other than that of love. But, with the use of reflection we can recognize this same spiritual movement in, for example, the ministrations of care-givers of all kinds. Money cannot “buy” respectful care of little children or of aged adults, or of any of those who cannot meet their own needs. When we act out of love, in small matters as well as great, we are the recipients of inspiration; we act “in the Spirit.”

The Spirit of the Living God moves in us in such ordinary, everyday ways that our attention is most often directed to the present moments of life as we experience them, and only rarely to the larger Love that moves in us and through us with no end point, not even our death. Our thoughts, our words, all our actions come to an end. But the love with which we live is too much of eternal God, too much of Spirit, to ever be completed. Love not only “rolls on like a river,” but keeps expanding. There is not enough room in our bodies or on this earth as we now know it, to contain the breadth of interactions for which we are created. Our love, in all our specific manifestations, is of eternity.

Though “love is shown in deeds” as Ignatius of Loyola stated, love itself is invisible, though exceedingly powerful. Love is, ultimately, wholly Spirit.
 

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The Top of Our Heads

When we hear that someone has offered an idea off the top of his or her head, we understand that not much thinking has preceded the statement. Usually we deem these expressions to be of lesser worth than those that are well-considered and carefully articulated. A suggestion or a proposal we make before reflecting, researching, or weighing pros and cons might be of little value, or, it might be a brilliant thought of much importance. Sometimes we are more open to inspirations in our first, unreflective thoughts, because they are not influenced by our habitual opinions, prejudices, and limiting attitudes.

God often moves in us for our benefit and that of those around us by bringing something into our consciousness that has either been hidden within us, or comes fresh from the Source. God has free access to all our interior workings, and can give us promptings that enhance our freedom to make good choices. God does not have to reason with us, discuss matters at length, or prove to us the benefits or hazards of a possible direction we might take. Much as we might do for someone we love when we have complete clarity about an issue, God can provide for us insights, solutions, or initiatives that we experience as fresh thoughts arising within our minds and hearts.

We can pay attention to thoughts that come to us, and, by becoming sensitive to our experiences, recognize when God calls, invites, suggests, or gives us a loving command. Likewise we can sense the kinds of thoughts entering our minds that are the equivalent of mental “dust bunnies” that somehow appear on the floors of our consciousness, and should be cleaned out.

The mental and spiritual processes that take place within us deserve our respect and careful reflection, so that we might choose our words and actions ever more in accord with our values and ideals. Rather than taking a uniform position with regard to the thoughts that come “off the top of our heads” we can judge potential solutions or suggestions for action not only by their rational content but also by their accompanying spiritual components. Whatever comes to mind for a person who is basically oriented towards God will most often be accompanied by a sense of peace when the thought is of real value for us, and cause some disturbance of spirit when it is not appropriate for us.

Thoughts do not literally come from the top of our heads, since they are comprised of more than mere brain activity. Our hearts have a closer relationship with our thoughts than the bond that hydrogen and oxygen atoms have in water molecules. One way to picture the inherent spiritual aspect of our thinking is this: Imagine God quietly, gently, and lovingly laying hands on the top of our heads. The gesture is that of imparting a blessing, of affirming us as individuals, and of giving us a personal appointment to some worthy endeavor.

When we become aware of our thoughts, we can make the judgment as to how they fit or do not fit our status as children of God.

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Rules and Ideals

When the pope came to the U.S. recently, some in the media expected that he would criticize Catholics for doctrinal errors and issue judgments about the American way of life. What we saw, read, or heard was all positive: encouragement, and challenge to live up to ideals, rather than a corrective to the breaking of rules. As Jesus said: “. . . I have come, not to condemn the world, but to save the world.” (Jn 12:47)

The rules of the Church that the pope represents are formulated according to the system of Roman law, which has a different emphasis from the type of law that Americans have inherited from England. Roman law states an ideal, and presumes that good-willed adults will make appropriate judgments about particular applications; American law tends to represent rules in an absolute manner, allowing for no exceptions or interpretations.

Most of us, as adults, do not experience our spirituality in the same was as we did when we were children. Though we are always in a learning mode, we are no longer satisfied with what was once a rather simple way to make decisions: being told by parents or authorities that “this is right, and that is wrong.” Having come to some awareness that God loves us, as do others in our lives, we want to love back. We can show love by obeying rules, but that is not enough. The appropriate and more attractive way to live our spirituality is by responding with increasing readiness and frequency to the inspirations given us by God: movements that are always in accord with the ideals held in our hearts.

It is not easier to live more by the spirit than by law, to remain open to change rather than to remain in a fixed state of being, to constantly seek causes for gratitude than to identify and condemn the negative. A life of responding to challenges according to one’s inspirations and commitments is, as many tell us, “hard!” But life is of little value if most of our thinking and energy are directed towards maintaining us in familiar surroundings and interactions. Love cannot sit still, but must actively respond to both pleasant and unpleasant realities.

Childhood spirituality can serve as a complement to our adult life in the spirit when we move from ideals to practices. We might, for example, see poverty as a grievous problem from a perspective of ideals, but a specific impulse to stop and greet a homeless person is an occasion for deciding what is, in the particular circumstances, “right or wrong” for us. The choice is ours. As we grow in awareness, and become adept at recognizing and acting on gracious insights, we exercise our spirituality in both the predictable and the unpredictable moments of our lives.

We often meet challenges to our ideals by following rules, but only those existing rules that we have found by experience to be helpful, or rules that we create for ourselves after reflecting on our experiences. We will not experience God’s inspirations if we rely primarily on popular cultural norms, especially those that ultimately are selfish. Though we might often experience positive impulses to take care of our health, treat ourselves with respect, and speak our truth to others rather than become the ground upon which they walk, much of our inspired thinking and acting will lead us outside of ourselves, to interact positively with others. And, at times, our hearts will incline directly towards God.

The Holy Spirit moves in our hearts at the moment of every decision we make, most often guiding rather than commanding, so that we might properly integrate rules and ideals.

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Beach Banquet

One of my favorite stories in the Gospels is about the Risen Jesus hosting a BBQ breakfast for some of the disciples who had been in a boat all night, fishing. They had been confused and distraught, and also frustrated in their attempts to catch fish. Suddenly, they experienced the presence of Jesus at a very simple, but lovingly prepared beach breakfast. How important it can be for us, no matter how many difficulties we have endured, when we can share a meal with people we care about, and who have our interests at heart. God relates with us in just this fashion, inviting us to moments of being together, especially in the context of a meal, often making recent painful experiences become of no great importance.

We participate in formal meals, as at weddings and other ceremonial occasions, and we share food in many informal settings as well. Whether we sit together with one person or many, eating a bag lunch or dining in a banquet hall, much more takes place among us than the consumption of food. Though each of us is a unique creation, God made all of us social beings who require both food and companionship for meaningful life. As we grew up in families and in society, we found that sharing meals together nourishes us in body, mind, and spirit.

If we eat more than we need, we gain weight. Without sufficient food, we experience hunger. Both are physical realities. Less visible, but equally real, are the consequences of articulating desires, goals, lofty thoughts and aspirations as well as everyday experiences to people who care about us. We also need to see, hear and otherwise perceive empathy, suggestions, opinions, and the stories of others. To live healthy lives as humans, interaction is as necessary as eating, and both can be done at the same time. God made us this way.

The resonances of the physical with the spiritual are very tightly bound together in us. We are made in the image and likeness of God, who is revealed to us in Jesus as human and divine. Jesus often made clear God’s love for us and the appropriate response we can make by loving one another, at meals. From the wedding feast at Cana, to the Last Supper, and including the cook-out on the shore of the sea of Galilee, Jesus literally ate and drank with us to enact as well as put into words, the entirety of God’s intention that we learn to live in a unity of trust and love on earth, before doing so in the life that continues into eternity.

Meals almost always provide opportunities for benefiting our spirits as well as our bodies. We can thank God for food and drink that sustain us in life, and we can also thank God for the persons who eat and drink with us and who make our lives worth living. When we share meals with people, the differences that at first we might have noticed usually diminish as soon as we decide that we will seek reasons for giving thanks to God regarding every aspect of each event. The prize of coming to know a diverse set of people is more easily gained when we get past some of our differences of table manners, customs, or kinds of food. Few of us thrive on an unvarying diet; a variety of relationships pleases most of us.

All of our meals now are occasions that prepare us for the banquet feast of heaven. It is the companions we have and will have who can make even a shared piece of bread, a “banquet” at the beach.

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What Do You Expect?

If I expect that everyone will act as I think they should, and that every event will turn out as I want, disappointment and frustration will be waiting on the other side of almost every door I open. If happiness is equated with our will being done, a “happy face” will not likely be our signature image. Our expectations have much to do with happiness, but only if we modify them to match the realities around us, and also if we take into account our gifts and limitations, our skills and our weaknesses, our interests and dislikes, and our hopes and fears.

We determine what we will expect from relationships with friends, associates, and family members, as well as the benefits and problems we expect to find in work, recreation, study, and all other activities. We have two excellent and readily available resources to aid us in adjusting our expectations: reflection, and prayer.

Reflection enables us to look honestly at our experiences, so that we learn to recognize ever more quickly the distinction between reasoned thoughts and impulsive wishes, between facts and fantasies, and between love and “looking good.” Having gained some clarity, we know what we can reasonably expect. We can learn, for example, from having “won” an argument that harmed a relationship, to expect that differences of opinion are resolved more readily when both sides have been heard rather than one side being forcefully presented. We change our expectations, based on realistic observation of the effects of our actions and others’ responses, upon others’ actions and our responses.

Reflecting upon our experiences can be pleasurable, as we learn what works to our benefit and that of our associates and what leads to dissonance within our own spirits and between us and those around us. Rather than accumulating knowledge of facts that are external to us, we become more familiar with our own particular options for judging the relative value of our words and actions, as well as the words and actions of others that have effects on us. We find, through reflection on the consequential events of the immediate past, what we can expect from future events.

Prayer enables us to seek and to find an ever more complete and full set of expectations that match who we are as beloved children of God. One almost inevitable consequence of consulting God is that we grow in trust of what God wants for us, and rely less on some of our uninspired ideas and beliefs about the actions that will bring us happiness and fulfillment. Every least encounter with God enables us to trust a bit more that God’s will is never opposed to our well-being. Who of us, in an experience of prayer, has ever received from God a directive that caused us injury or diminishment? We have all been challenged at times, and perhaps frightened, with clear understanding of decisions that we should take. But God does not expect anything of us that is in any way contrary to the gifts of human life and freedom that we have received. Prayer is a form of communication in which our expectations of God and of ourselves become ever more finely tuned to our welfare and that of all other people.

When we pray, we engage the most helpful means for understanding and modifying our expectations: hope. Hope is the spiritual side of expectations. Hope is always positive, a pure gift from God. If we are troubled about an expectation that we have in mind, or one that we think someone has of us, placing the matter in the hands of God who loves us leads naturally to hope. God’s Spirit gently guides our minds and hearts to expect that all the realities which we cannot ourselves change will yet work for our benefit.

If we expect that God will be good to us and to everyone, our expectations are open to the reality encompassing all that exists.
 

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Wind, Breath, and Spirit

We observe the wind’s direction, temperature, and intensity, but we do not direct it. We continually breathe in and out, inhaling fresh air and then exhaling. The Spirit of God moves in and around us completely beyond our control, but more life-giving and favorable to us than the finest quality of fresh air that we can breathe.

Though God is not to be equated with wind or breath, the movement of air about us can help us to recognize the equally invisible but readily perceived movements of the Spirit. We have weather charts of wind-flow, and pictures of cloud formations, but we do not see wind or air, however much we observe and feel its effects. We do not view God with our eyes, but we have the capability of becoming familiar with the continual and pervasive actions of God in our persons and in our environment.

Sailors are always concerned about the effects of wind upon the waters, and many of us on land who plan to go outdoors are also careful to attend to the wind’s speed and direction. If we know something about the forces in the air that we are to encounter, we can make adjustments that will enable us to benefit directly or avoid negative consequences. As spiritual beings, we learn through experience that the wind of the Spirit is never an “ill wind” and always a beneficial movement that we can await or actively seek. Spirit-winds guide our thoughts and help us in making decisions.

However winds blow, we cannot store them up to use at another time, and we cannot hold on to the consolations and peace that often indicate the movements of God’s Spirit within us. But we can keep a kite or a sail boat ready for use whenever the appropriate wind conditions arise, and we can likewise make ready to go along with our inspirations whenever they occur. Though we cannot be certain of when some favorable winds will come again, the grace and peace of God will recur whenever we need them. Some of us may at times pray about the weather, as some might seek a wind to blow away the mist. More frequently and with greater effect, most of us turn to God and ask for help with making decisions, and experience the quiet movement within us that provides the clarity we seek.

The movements of God’s love within us and about us can arise as quickly and at times as surprisingly as do breezes – and from any direction. When a breath of wind comes up, we must decide whether it is better for us to resist and move away, or to accept and adjust. When we recognize the direction that God’s gentle suggestions offer, our best interests are always served by going in the direction of the movement.

Many of us have learned a process that is beneficial for physical health as well as spiritual: breathing in and out consciously and slowly. Blowing out every bit of air that we can, leads immediately to drawing in a deep and full breath of fresh air. The benefits are relatively immediate: a lessening of anxiety or anger and an increase of peace and of purpose. The Spirit of God is involved in both parts of such exercise, giving us life as bodily persons dependent upon breathing, and enlivening us as persons of spirit.

Breathing exercises can easily become prayer. We can, for example, imagine Jesus breathing his Holy Spirit upon us as disciples. The consequences of receiving the Spirit of Jesus are quite valuable: courage, clarity of purpose, and an ever greater capacity for love – both giving and receiving.

As with the winds and with The Spirit, the initiative is not ours. Though we have no personal relationship with either wind or breath, we have, with God’s Spirit. God does not act arbitrary, but changes direction or force wholly according to each one’s needs for guidance, direction, purpose, and life. When we pray, “Come Holy Spirit,” we are inviting the love of God to move in and around us not according to our directions, as if we already knew what was best for us. Rather, we seek to be inspired, so that we might recognize the indications from God as to what is better for us and for all.

Breathe in the Spirit, and let that loving wind guide us.
 

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Saving Time

When we begin or end Daylight Saving Time we adjust our clocks, not the passage of time. Certainly we do not save daylight, as if we could store it up to use at a later time. We change our daily routines, not the amount of daylight in a given day.

We cannot collect and save daylight, and we cannot store up even one second, much less an hour, to expend as we might wish. Rather, we respond in different ways to the unchanging movement of time. In Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, time can move faster or slower for those who might be traveling at close to the speed of light. But even if we could race around the universe as fast as light, we could not save up even a small amount of time that we could use later, at our discretion.

When we talk about saving time, we usually mean that we take or make short-cuts, such as heating food in a microwave oven instead of cooking on a stove. We try to spend less time with unimportant matters so that we have more time for those that are significant for us. If we use more hours rather than fewer engaged in thoughts and actions that make a positive difference in our lives and in those of others, we are saving time, in a truly radical sense. When we use some of our limited time exercising a quality that is timeless, we connect some of our time with eternity. The spiritual aspects of the efforts we make in time enter with us into the timelessness of the eternal present with God. All of our decisions to love save time in the only way that time can really be saved.

We have many opportunities to save time by making our time-centered actions also timeless. Every caring thought or word has at least a bit of the eternal in it. All prioritizing we make among the many options we have each day can have an effect that transcends time. Likewise, all our decisions to back away from the priorities of our hearts actually wastes time. When we leave our essential values out of our thoughts and actions, time merely passes, and is gone, unsaved.

It takes time for us to gain experience in the ways that we go about saving time. Though we might have known God from our earliest years, most of us began with only occasional personal contact with God, and an initial awareness of the eternal quality of our capacity to love. We grow in our love of God and neighbor within the constraints of limited time. We increase our reach into eternity through our every “yes” to the inspirations and invitations of the God of timelessness. When we come to the end of our life in time, our immediate loss will be physical, while our love will have no limitations at all. Those who have managed to love while under the constraints of our present human form will continue, in eternity, the loving that we began in time.

Our time now is a saving time. When we pass beyond time, we will have no desire or need for time, as it has no meaning with and in God. When we are with God, we will be saved, and have no concern for saving time.

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Smiles

Smiles are perhaps our most powerful means of communication. Recently, I looked at a picture of the new General Superior of the Jesuits, just after he had been chosen to bear the responsibility of governance for an organization of some 20,000 men around the world. The smile is radiant and unaffected, not the strained smile of a politician or the practiced smile of someone in entertainment. Whenever we smile spontaneously, we are very likely manifesting visibly the joy that we experience at the hidden presence of God within us.

Most of the photos we keep are of people smiling. Some of our deepest desires, for us and for others, are to experience the conditions that most readily draw forth smiles from us. When we smile, our eyes act as the windows of our souls. We can indicate respect, care, consideration, acceptance, and understanding in our smiles, just as we can manifest the opposite through frowns. The truth of our love for others, in all its various forms and degrees, becomes visible in our smiles.

We give one another great gifts with sincere smiles of appreciation. Of course we can “force” a smile, or smile outwardly while feeling anything but loving. But spontaneous smiles come from our hearts, where we are most intimately connected with the Spirit of God. We do not have to think or intend to convey anything of God to others when we smile, but God is love, and every least manifestation of love is of God.

Does God smile? Since the consequences of God within us are often manifested in smiles, even inward smiles that do not always become visible on our faces, we can imagine that the invisible God is a God of smiles. What moves the muscles of our faces when we are relieved, or healed, or become aware that “all is well?” The smile of God is on our faces, for the sake of others, and for us too.

How do we picture the face of Jesus, who has accomplished all he intended by his life, death, and resurrection? Frowning is out of the question! When we greet those who are sick, or those who are in serious difficulties, we do not smile at their pain, any more than Jesus smiles at our suffering. All of us, including Jesus, declare with our smiles, that we care, and are ready to respond to whatever another person experiences.

When we are alone, we still might have many occasions to smile. Imagine Jesus Christ coming up, and calling us by name. As we look up, we are met with a radiant and gracious eye-to-eye smile. If we let ourselves imagine this, our own facial muscles will probably relax, and we might even smile in return. Again, we can imagine encountering someone we know, and while thinking of that person, allow a smile to develop on our faces. If a smile develops, even if it remains invisible, love is very likely at work in our hearts. Finally, imagine a smile on our faces as we turn towards God in prayer. If we smile at God, our prayer must be some kind of statement of love, even if we also communicate a request or express another concern.

God smiles at us all the time. If we want to, we can smile back. And in the smiling, we can be sure that God’s love is active within us.

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God’s Business

We are busy persons, whether or not we are engaged in a formal business that is for-profit or not-for-profit. Each of attends, with all that we have of mind, body, and spirit, to the occupations that we have chosen or that have in some way “chosen us.” Though many of our thoughts and activities involve interactions with other persons, we want to be known as persons who mind our own business; we do not want the reputation of being “busy-bodies.”

Is God busy? We cannot imagine that God becomes tired and requires rest from the ongoing business of holding all that exists in being. God is not subject to limitations of time, space, size, or shape. So God is not occupied with creation to the exclusion of some other activity or way of being. If we are to say that God is busy, we can only mean that God is occupied with what is proper to God and to no one else. Although God is our creator, God is not a “busybody,” telling us what to do with the freedom that is proper to us.

Does God have a business? Businesses are most often associated with making money. They produce something or provide services that others want or need, and for which payment of some kind is expected in exchange. God does not create all that we need in order to receive something in exchange. We have no means of paying for what God creates and gives us as pure gift. God’s business is definitely not-for-profit.

When we consider that God is love, not just the creator of all that exists, our concept of God’s business must be modified. God loves what God creates. We can rightly say that it is God’s business to love, and that it is our business to love back. We do not have to love God, any more than God has to create us or love us. But if we believe that God’s business is to do what is proper to God, we can reflect honestly on our position in the world, and recognize the business that is proper to us.

The business we all have is to respond to God in thanks and praise, and to love God’s creation, especially our fellow humans. We cannot put our profit in the bank, nor can we earn interest on it. But we can fulfill the purpose God had in creating us – to love.

Our busyness can at times interfere with our true business, as when we say that we are too busy to attend to God this day. We are indeed too busy - about things other than our business. It is as though we had a fine business of providing quality musical instruments for the world, but we occupied ourselves solely on making instruments, and never took the time to sell or give away even one. A room full of products, but no one having a chance to purchase or make use of a single one: not a good business. If we do not spend any time with God, what have we done with our day? If we have not made any connection between all our activities and a return of love to God who gives us our talents, capabilities, freedom, and all of creation that is ours to use, we have not handled our business very well. Our ultimate profit is to fulfill our purpose in life. We are not here primarily to make money or to become famous. We do not believe that the billionaires and “stars” of this world are necessarily those who are most successful at the business of life.

God’s business is love. And our business is to respond.

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Updated: 07/18/08