Usually, Monday is a Sabbath around here, with teensy bits of work intruding on the peace. Yesterday was a full, rock'em-sock'em day, ending with a Vestry meeting than ran pretty late into the evening (followed by a 50 minute commute back home). I love my Vestry, and this was an extraordinary meeting on many levels, but I was toast by the time I rolled in to Chez Mibi.
I had hoped today would be a bit more calm, but it seems not to be so, and the list of That Which Must Be Dealt With grows by the hour. This is, of course, the way of this time of the year. Extra activities, planning for the administrative part of year's end and for the year to come, people in the midst of personal challenges getting overwrought, usually for very good reasons.
So I'm looking forward to a couple of Sabbath moments in the coming weeks: spiritual direction on Wednesday, high tea with some friends next Monday, a 2 and a half day retreat with some dear ClergyChick friends right after 2 Christmas, some quiet time with PH in the car othis Saturday while we drive down to the Capital of the Confederacy for an interview (prayers welcomed).
For some folks, the extroverts, Sabbath is the renewal gained by being with a bunch of folks doing non-work stuff. For those of us who are introverts, Sabbath must be quieter to do its healing work. I'm grateful for those moments...and am reminding myself that I must make them happen.
So I'm reminded of the instructions for meditation by St John of the Cross, the final step of which is this: "Loving and attentive repose in God, to make sure we are fully prepared for that moments when the intelligence opens itself up to God's illumination."
Without the repose, how can one apprehend the illumination?
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