Benedict understands us so well. In directing that the Lord's Prayer be recited aloud at the conclusion of Lauds and Vespers, he reminds us that the thorns of contention inevitably spring up wherever people live together. Even among those who earnestly seek God, misunderstanding, impatience, and resentment find their way into our lives.
And so we are asked, day after day, to repeat the extraordinary pledge contained in the prayer Jesus taught us: Forgive us as we forgive.
These are not words to be spoken lightly. They call us to recognize our own need for forgiveness and to extend that same mercy to those around us.
Sister Joan reminds us of the wisdom of a rabbi who taught that we should carry two messages, one in each pocket. In one: I am dust and ashes. In the other: For my sake the universe was created.
What a remarkable understanding of our humanity! We live in the delicate balance between our extraordinary worth in God's eyes and our profound dependence upon God's goodness. We are creatures of dignity and fragility, of hope and failure, of greatness and humility.
And life is not always easy.
By the middle of the week, fatigue, frustration, and even ennui can begin to wear away our attentiveness to God and to one another. We become impatient. Our words grow sharper. Our generosity of spirit diminishes.
Benedict knows this, too. His carefully ordered rhythm of prayer and psalmody calls us repeatedly to return to the source of our strength. Prayer is not an escape from the cold, hard realities of life. It is preparation for meeting those realities with renewed courage, understanding, and love.
Indeed, the purpose of Benedictine prayer is not simply to make us more prayerful. It is to make us more fully human, more conscious of God's presence, and more attentive to the people with whom we share this brief journey.
We leave an imprint upon the world simply by passing through it. Our words, our actions, our expectations, even the manner in which we enter the lives of others—all leave their traces.
What, then, should that imprint be?
Perhaps one of the deepest expressions of humility is to recognize how much of ourselves we impose upon those around us, often without realizing it, and to ask God to make our presence gentler.
Soften our imprint upon your world, O God.
Soften our voices, our touch, and our footsteps.
Guide us through this life in such a way
that those whose paths we cross feel not
the weight of our own importance,
but the tenderness of your love.
No comments:
Post a Comment