When trying to come up with a theme for this week, I came across a book on my shelf called Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations by Anthony de Mello, S.J. He starts the first chapter with a “Warning”.
“It is a great mystery that though the human heart longs for Truth in which alone it finds liberation and delight, the first reaction of human beings to Truth is one of hostility and fear. So, the Spiritual Teachers of humanity, like Buddha and Jesus created a device to circumvent the opposition of their listeners: the story. They knew that the most entrancing words a language holds are ‘Once upon a time…’ that it is common to oppose a truth but impossible to resist a story. Vyasa, the author of the Mahabharata, says that if you listen carefully to a story you will never be the same again. That is because the story will worm its way into your heart and break down barriers to the divine.”
So, I thought this week we would look at some “stories” about prayer that might “worm” into our hearts and help us to feel a closer connection to that which we call “Divine”.
Listen carefully to this story…
“When the Master invited the Governor to practice meditation and the Governor said he was too busy, this is the reply he got: “You put me in mind of a man walking blindfolded into the jungle – and being too busy to take the blindfold off.” When the Governor pleaded lack of time, the Master said, “It is a mistake to think that meditation cannot be practiced for lack of time. The real reason is agitation of the mind”
Think about it for a minute…then pray with me.
O Creator God, we have taken that limitless expanse of time you have given us, and broken it down into artificial units, which we fill with too many things. Instead of enjoying the time that you have gifted to us, we have become slaves to it. Help us today to clear our minds of the chaos caused by this servitude and find a calm place, a “quiet centre”, where we can meet you. This we ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.
