Being With God

I have thought about how much we need to be with God, as He calls us through the Psalms to “Sit and be Still” with Him.                                                        

When first discerning the possibility of a vocation to the cloister, one of the questions I crossed was whether I could handle sitting in chapel all day?  I didn’t think I would be able to.  Fast forwarding to my first visit to the monastery, I couldn’t grasp how to meditate, which the Sisters do an hour and a half of, each day!  It can be quite a journey.  And after receiving many explanations from various sources and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I realized just how simple it is, and that I had done it even when I was still living “in the world.”   

Shortly after my entrance into the monastery, I took up an informal challenge to “live in chapel” during my free time.  (Just as a quick explanation, praying in the chapel is the life and love of a religious, though we still have our jobs throughout the day of “keeping up the house” and supporting ourselves, as any family would.)  I would make an extra effort to be in His Presence physically, when I did not necessarily have to. 

But maybe you’re thinking the same thing I did…  Don’t you run out of things to talk to God about?  Well, there are different methods you can use.  You can pray for people, do your personal devotions, discern ways of loving God, meditate on Sacred Scripture… or you can just sit there.  It’s almost the same as unwinding from a busy day of constant movement.  Work, school, shopping, chores, social time.  You just need to stop and calm down and not think about it for awhile.  Wondering how I apply it in regards to my own lifestyle?  I take out from my mind that I just scrubbed a staircase, the mental plans I was making for what I would do after the Divine Office, what I will do with the fifteen minutes between meditation and supper… 

Let it all go away.

My novice mistress said to write down what needs to be done, and

           

                                                                         

then I just sit before Our Lord and Our Lady.  Nothing needs to be said.  That in itself can be hard to do, so I begin with a short phrase, having a direct awareness of His Presence and adoring Him. 

“I’m here, Jesus.  I’m here.”  Just breathe it in and let it wash over you.  Try it!  Give yourself five minutes before turning on the TV or texting a friend.  Jesus will appreciate it!  There might be distractions at first, but grace comes with the effort.  Sometimes it helps to get ideas from the prophets and the saints.  Since I started off with referring to Lent, let me conclude with some thoughts, if you choose to make this part of your Lenten resolution: don’t stop practicing it!  These forty days are a time to draw closer to God and being more prepared for an even more advanced, contemplative level.  Be open and let Him affect you!

There’s a story of how someone walked into a church and found a man gazing at the Most Blessed Sacrament.  When asked what he was telling Jesus, the man replied that he was saying  nothing.  “I look at Him and He looks at me.”