I WANT TO SHARE WITH MY FRIENDS A PANDEMIC REFLECTION I WROTE FOR MY SISTERS.
We have been living for over a year already in these pandemic times. It is at this time that we become very conscious of our daily routine especially for us religious who have a fixed daily schedule. And since travels, visits, outside meetings, social gatherings do not happen at this time, there is hardly any interruption to our routine activities. It is at this time that we should reflect on the Theology of Everyday life (Quotidiano) .It means that everyday life is holy, is sacred, is the actual juncture where God meets us , where we encounter God, where we experience God’s love , God’s grace, God’s mercy and the venue of our own conversion , of our own transformation.
We do not need an extraordinary event or a special moment of divine intervention , sacred ritual , or even a special place for us to have an experience of God. Where, but in our everyday life, did we experience a kind gesture of our Superior or a friend who listened to us, who gave us solace and comfort, or even an extraordinary generous gesture. But also is it not in our everyday life that we offended someone, scolded a lay partner in public, became impatient , became angry, became envious or jealous. ?
Is it not in our everyday life that someone hurt us, betrayed our confidence, bore false witness against us, spread rumors about us, etc, etc. It is also in our everyday life that we are able to forgive and to be forgiven, to help and to be helped . And yes is it not in our everyday life that we get a sudden insight into ourselves or into a situation that is the beginning of our transformation , of a Damascus experience, a metanoia, a return to God’s embrace? It is in our everyday life that we experience the consolation that rains down to water our arid spiritual life in the desert of our desolation.
Zen teachers ,when asked by disciples what they should do to achieve Buddahood ,reply that they should do only just what they are doing , washing a plate, sweeping the floor– and in our context– writing on our computer, auditing a financial statement, preparing a community pantry, etc.
The most important attitude in the theology of everyday life is: MINDFULNESS or as Eckhart Tolle prefers to say: CONSCIOUS AWARENESS—It means to live moment to moment, to focus in the here and now and to recognize God’s visitation when it happens.
You know now that I am 83 , realizing that I have overshot the biblical length of life (“80, if you are strong”) and that every day is a “bonus”, my prayer on awakening is: “Lord, thank you for this beautiful day. Thank you that I am still alive and relatively healthy on this beautiful day. Help me to live this day with conscious awareness, compassion and joy. Amen”.
Lovingly,
Sr. Mary John,OSB