"'And' demands that our contemplation become action
'And' insists that our action is also contemplative..."
Fr. Richard Rohr, A Spring Within Us, "The Shining Word 'And'"
I had a chance to ponder this yesterday on a Somewhat Silent Sunday. I recognized that it is exactly what happens when I volunteer at the Hospice Home. I still have so much to learn about it all--action and contemplation and also the Hospice Home. I'm not totally comfortable with any of them, but that's OK...I'm learning. Mostly at the Hospice Home I am doing household chores while trying, diligently, to stay out of the way. The work of dying is very difficult and is a struggle, sometimes, for the person dying as well as for their family. How can action and contemplation work together to keep the flow of God's love, well...flowing? After a few weeks, I am finally getting the picture (I'm a bit of a slow study!) As I went about my chores last week, I could sense a real need for prayer among the patients and families. I could feel a palatable need for peace and letting go. I felt so helpless and yet, I was able to connect with the need by sitting down and praying for a while in between dusting and laundry. Then, after a time, the prayer actually became the dusting and the laundry. What I learned from all this is that any action I do there (and anywhere, really) needs to come from a prayerful place within me. And the prayer that I am saying needs to manifest in the work of comfort, be it sweeping the floor or offering beverages. It is all prayer. Love, heidi
No comments:
Post a Comment