By Sr. Doreen, SSJD
“Doing nothing is better than being ‘busy’ doing nothing” Lao Tzu
(Cartoon images – Open Minds)
There are moments, and sometimes even days, or weeks, or occasionally months, when taking time for some reflection I find myself wondering if I’ve accomplished anything meaningful! Like, where did time go and why am I so tired and weary from all the doing and yet feel so empty and discouraged? I know that days seem packed with busyness, hurrying to keep up with life, seemingly taking two steps forward and one backwards! When these moments arrive, I know they are a red flag for readjusting my balance of life.
When I saw this cartoon in the newspaper, there was an aha moment! I don’t think that I have really been mindful – mindfully present – to the everyday miracles that are part of each moment and each day: those miracles that add meaning and depth and purpose to whatever it is that we are rushing around doing. So, it was cause for a real opportunity to ponder what I needed to do. When I entered the Convent in 1965, besides our individual prayer times and meditation, corporately we used what we called a seven-fold office – that was the Monastic seven offices throughout the day: Matins, Lauds, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, Compline. That round of prayer throughout the day helped us to move through the day with greater mindfulness.
We changed our daily corporate prayer time to Morning prayer, Eucharist, Evening prayer, and Compline. At the time, this was a solid and positive move, and the built in pauses during our corporate prayer life was a good fit. Today, for me and probably for most of us, life seems to have become much busier, our culture and world have sped up, news and information is more readily available at the instant. I thought that perhaps life just seemed fast because one was aging, but as I talk to people, the pace of life seems to have increased for everyone. Balance of life, self care, and the need for mindfulness, living mindfully in the present moment, has become so important for all of us. How do we build meaningful pauses into our day? Pauses where we ‘do nothing’ – stop and stare – in order to make our doing more meaningful and fulfilling?
Macrina Wiederkehr wrote a book called “The Seven Sacred Pauses”, reflections based on the themes of the hours – a guide for those who would like to move through the day with greater mindfulness, for those searching for ways to be more attuned to the present moment.
I created for myself a small booklet of short reflections adapted from her reflections for my own use. I try to be faithful to these brief pauses as a way to enter more positively into ‘doing nothing’ (stop and pause) – knowing it is so much better than being ‘busy doing nothing’, so that my days have space for those miracles of daily living to show themselves from time to time and add a blessed moment, a cherished gift.
Knowing that I used Macrina’s reflections and adapted them to suit my own rhythm of life, I thought that with this reflection “Doing nothing is better than being ‘busy’ doing nothing” Lao Tzu quote: perhaps sharing my booklet, might be an example that others might find helpful in making their own discipline of ‘stop and stare’ for a moment – stand still and pause to live more mindful of being actually present to the day.
O Pilgrim of the Hours (Marcina Wiederkehr)
Each morning night’s curtain opens on a new day. You are invited to join the great opening.
Open your ears. Open your heart. Open your eyes, to the sacred path you travel every day, the path of the hours. Greet the hours with joyful awareness. Greet the hours with faithful presence. Greet the hours with a reverential bow. Greet the hours with a sacred pause.
Reverence each hour as a small stepping stone on your pilgrimage through the day. Receive the gift of seven sacred pauses. Practice waking up seven times a day.
A Pilgrimage of the Hours
Dear Artist of the Universe, Beloved Sculptor, Singer, and Author of my life, born of your image I have made a home in the open fields of my heart. The magnetic tug of your invitation to grow is slowly transforming me into a gift for the world. Mentor me into healthy ways of living.
– Help me remember to pause.
The Night Watch (Late in the Evening – just before bedtime or if you wake in the night)
Make of me a faithful vigil in the heart of darkness, I want to be a sentinel through all the dark hours of night. When the deep darkness falls, let me be your star. Name me One Who Watches Through the Night. Reveal to me the holiness of lingering with mystery. Employ me in the holy art of waiting.
The themes for the hour: Vigilance and deep listening; mystery and silence; surrender and trust
Meditative Prayer:
I keep vigil with those who wait alone. The darkness has a special kind of soul. I lean into the darkness and grow wise.
“I rise before dawn and cry for help; I put my hope in your words. My eyes are awake before each watch of the night, that I may meditate on your promises”. (psalm 119.147-148)
“For God alone my soul waits in silence” (psalm 61:1)
– O teach me to live with a vigilant heart.
The Awakening Hour (Dawn)
Make of me a dawn. Let me be a small voice of joy, rising with the sun. Colour me with sunrise. Let me be your awakening first light of new day. Make me a joyful, unexpected surprise in the lives of many, an everlasting birthday. I want to be your goodness rising, your grace poured forth in every hour. Name me Dawn, sweet beginning of every day, gift for a sleepy world.
The themes for hour: Praise and resurrection, joy and delight, the coming of light
Meditative Prayer:
We are summoned from sleep, called to wakefulness, invited to behold the face of the dawning day. This is the hour of resurrection.
“No one knows what makes the soul wake up so happy. Maybe a dawn breeze has blown the veil away from the face of God” (Rumi)
“To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.” (Tagore)
“it is you who light my lamp; the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness” (psalm 18:28)
– O make of me a rising dawn
The Blessing Hour (Mid-morning)
Make me a midmorning blessing. As you breathe me into this day, let me become your breath. Transform me into early morning sun, bright with potential and possibility. Let me be your love made visible. Sing through me in the mid-morning hours. Make me your musical instrument.
The themes for the hour: the coming of the Spirit, wind and flame, breath and blessing, strength and courage, the sacredness of work.
Meditative Prayer:
I hold out my hands to receive the blessings of the moment. This little morning recess is a gift to myself – a wordless prayer in the midst of my work.
O Spirit of the Circling Hours, work through me that I may be your love poured out.
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16)
– Strum a melody of blessing with my life
The House of Illumination (Midday)
Make me your noonday sun, bright with passion, on fire with truth, enduringly courageous. Let me be light for the world. Create in me a nonviolent heart. O let me be your heart. Help me believe the truth about myself no matter how beautiful, no matter how weary, it is. Let me be the peace for which I pray. Teach me to energize others, to stir up their enthusiasm without overwhelming them.
The themes for the hour: Commitment and passion, courage and faithfulness, healing, truth and peace
Meditative Prayer:
Servant leadership, if I am to be a prophet of peace in a violent world, then I must practice living with a nonviolent heart. I must become peace. “We must be the change we wish to see in the world” (Gandhi)
“Commit your way to the Holy One. Trust and God will act. Integrity will rise like the sun, bright as the noonday will be your healing.” (psalm 37: 5-6)
– Make my power to love strong than my love for power.
The Wisdom Hour (Midafternoon)
Make of me a midafternoon shadow that I may soften the intensity of the sun. Let me be shade. Robe me with wisdom. Enable me to be at home with impermanence. Teach me the dance of surrender. O make of me a great letting go. May the sacred emptiness of my life help others to know fullness. May I never fear a death that brings me life.
The themes for the hour: steadfastness, surrender, forgiveness and wisdom, impermanence, aging, maturing, death and transition.
Meditative Prayer:
Love assists me in my desire to be faithful and steadfast in these last hours of the day.
We stand before the dying day offering our bouquet of life.
“Teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart” (psalm 90:12)
“I love Wisdom more than health or beauty, and I chose to have her rather than light, because her radiance never ceases”. (Wisdom 7:10)
– Let me rejoice in the harvest of each dying day.
The Twilight Hour (Evening – before dinner)
Make of me a twilight: wake of colour, trail of glory. In the evening of life transform me into a song of gratitude. I want to be an evening star for those who have lost their way. I want to be beauty at the end of each day. On my pilgrimage through the day, write mystery stories with my life. Out of my faithful attendance to the hours pour forth the incense of your praise.
The Themes for the hour: gratitude, praise, serenity, mystery, the lighting of lamps
Meditative Prayer:
All around me the lamps of evening are being lit, I, too, light my inner lamp of love.
Stay with us Lord, for the day is almost over. “By day the Lord is steadfast love and at night the Lord’s song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.” (psalm 42:8)
– Transform me into a song of gratitude
The Great Silence (After dinner and clean up time)
Make me your holy darkness, your blessed night. Transform me into a great silence that drowns out distracting noises. Fashion me into one who sees with the eyes of the soul. I long to be a protective mantle of comforting darkness for all who need rest. Give me insight into the Holy Mystery that cradles me through the night.
The themes for the hour: Silence, rest, and sleep: darkness, trust and protection: personal sorrow, completion, intimacy.
Meditative Prayer:
I enter the comforting darkness, robed in trust and confident of divine protection. The deep silence of the hour blesses me, the sweet darkness anoints me. The living prayer of this day, now complete, I offer to the Beloved.
O Holy One, in whose light and shadows we have journeyed through this day, give us now a peaceful night and when our lives have ripened, a happy death!
Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in God’s peace.
– O make of me your night prayer.
May we focus on the mystery of the moment – and turn our doing into new life for ourselves and others, for our world and for God.
Arise Shine for your Light has come and the Glory of the Lord has risen upon you!