Today marks the three week anniversary of the public
commitment and official formation of the Sobremesa community. To be sure, they have been weeks of joy filled with community dinners and visits from old friends, and some new ones
too. A special thanks goes to Bro. Mitch
Schweickart and Patrick Duffy for visiting our community.
They came to the table and laughed with us while also reminding us of
the importance of remaining true to our mission.
There are, of course, the random times where
the three of us happen to find ourselves chatting about the highs and lows of
our days; I’m thankful for these grace times.
I’d be remiss without mentioning our communal prayer times. It is in these times that I find, most
apparent, the visible and transparent richness of the Spirit shining
forth. It is often in the simple things
that Jen or Clare share (or even do) that I glean some wisdom and hope. I see hope when I come home to a table set and dinner prepared. I see
hope and wisdom when either of my community-mates take time to fold my
clothes (clothes that I left in the dryer for way too long) and neatly place
them on my bed. These acts of love give
me hope and teach me the wisdom of being open to those closest around me. This wisdom and hope sustains and enriches my
Spirit and prompts me to dig deeper in my personal prayer life. There seems to be openness to the Spirit, on
the part of our community, that is authentically demonstrated as we continue to
share life together. Indeed community is
a great gift where all that we do or
don’t do matters.
Community isn’t always, however, thought provoking,
enjoyable, fun, or “warm and fuzzy.”
Community can be (and mostly is day-to-day) a task, still yet, where everything one does or doesn’t do matters.
There have, without a doubt, been times of struggle and
frustration. Questions I pose from
time-to-time go as follows: why won’t
they just put the dishes away after dinner? ; why do I have to fold the laundry
of someone else? ; why won’t anybody help me trim these hedges? ; or why doesn't anybody notice when I vacuum the carpets?
I’m sure my community-mates have asked similar
questions of me and of the community in general. Why didn’t he help me when I needed help? Why was he such a jerk in the way he responded
to my request? Why didn’t he reply to
that email I sent him three days ago? Or,
why did I decide to live in this community anyway? When the community shares their frustrations with me I ask myself, was I too concerned with getting my own stuff
done? Was I too focused on finishing the
grading that I was blinded to what Clare or Jen needed? Am I too busy at school? Am I not ready to be open to the needs of
those that are closest to me? Am I not
ready to see how God is right in front me at that (even this) very moment?
Community calls us to remember that every action we
take, or don’t take, has implications or ramifications. If I chose to close the door to my room and
work by myself then I might as well close myself off from the community. I believe that deeply understanding this
reality, where everything matters, starts close to home, within our own (spiritual)
life. Fr. Chaminade reminds us
(hopefully without sounding too cliché) that “the essential is the interior.”
We can therefore begin to analyze and hope that we are
open to allowing God to be the fuel of our lives, especially our lives of
prayer. This is difficult to measure and critique. This measuring and critiquing becomes dangerous
if we begin to see our prayer lives as something we have to spend “x” amount of
time per week or day engaged in. At its
best, this critiquing and analyzing will enable us to see if we do indeed
value, as well as move to the top of the priority list, the spiritual life. Fr. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest,
reminds us that (and I’m paraphrasing here) prayer is always happening we need
only to show up and be with God. Am I
asking for the grace to be open to how the Lord is moving and shaking in my
life?
If I begin with the premise: God is living and existing within me then I
don’t have to go very far. I can see God
by engaging in intentional introspective time.
It matters immensely whether or not we take this time (even if we don’t
live in an intentional community) because living in this reality will shape
what we say or don’t say, do or don’t do, and last and certainly not least, how
we love or not love. Fr. Chaminade
wisely reminds us that “it is in prayer that you will find peace for your soul.” Is prayer valuable to me? Is prayer valuable to you? If yes, then we can love—starting with the
God that lives in us—ourselves and also learn to love our neighbor, our
community, and hopefully the world.
So, you see, it matters. Everything we do or don’t do matters. If we don’t value our prayer lives then we
are drifting alone and feel separate from God, others, and the world. If we can ask for the grace while also doing
some hard personal interior work, then we will continue to grow closer and
deeper to God, others, and the world. A
wise Jedi (yes this is a Star Wars reference) once said, “do or do not, there
is no try.” I encourage and challenge us to work at
seeing and knowing the God that lives in each of us.
Stop trying and begin doing while always remembering, humbly of course,
that everything matters. Peace be with
you, always.
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