Mindfulness

Mindfulness.

It was one focus for my retreat. After our first session together on Tuesday morning a scripture, Matthew 6:22) came to me "If your eye is whole (King James Version reads 'single') then your whole body will be full of light."

I began to think about mindfulness and clarity and focus. While practicing stillness I began to see more clearly how multi-tasking defeats my own spiritual efforts and cuts me off from my God and His world around me. That's changing. There's some light out there.

Instead, I am feeling called to spend time, quality time, with myself and with my God.

It came like this.... Observing my thoughts, guarding my thoughts, creates a small quiet space within... a single eye... wherein the Light of God is able to shine to and and through me.

The May 3rd reading from the Prologue of St. Benedict's Rule drove this insight home for me......

Let us arise, then, at last, for the Scripture stirs us up, saying, "Now is the hour for us to rise from sleep" (Rom. 13:11). Let us open our eyes to the deifying light, let us hear with attentive ears the warning which the divine voice cries daily to us,"Today if you hear His voice, harden not your hearts" (Ps. 94:8).

And again, "Whoever has ears to hear, hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Matt. 11-15; Apoc. 2:7).And what does He say? "Come, My children, listen to Me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord" (Ps. 33:12). "Run while you have the light of life, lest the darkness of death overtake you" (John 12:35).

No big revelation, nothing earth shattering... But still life changing nonetheless. Post-retreat this insight has begun infiltrating my life in subtle ways...while driving to and from work, in the office, working in the yard, in the endless meetings....

It's like the sping light filtering through trees. in the afternoon.

In each place I stop, I find a little more quietness, a little extra breathing space... More present to God, I also become more present to the task at hand and, ironically enough, to the larger world.