Today in his homily, the priest at our church talked about how often in life when we are in those “in-between” times, we become impatient. He mentioned that it was no different for the disciples in the nine days between the Ascension, when Jesus physically left Earth, and Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended. The Church, he explained, has a tradition of prayer that focuses on those nine days, that I found out later after doing a little research online is called Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts, and which can be done during any nine days. During those nine days, he said we should focus on giving thanks for what God has given us and ask what we need to do next.
This part of his homily resonated with me, perhaps because for almost the last two years, I felt like I’ve been in an “in-between” time, a holding pattern, in my own life, as I’m between jobs.
In keeping with Vatican II declaring the Eucharist as the source and summit of the Christian life, he reminded us how we are challenged to be men and women of prayer at Mass — however, not only at Mass, he said, but at the dinner table, before we go to bed and even before we go out of the bed.
This part of his homily also resonated with me, perhaps because I am just completing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola and feel like I need to be reminded to still continue to pray each day. And when I say “pray,” I don’t just mean as in the sense of praying without ceasing, which is easier said than done, but to start and end my day with prayer: to center myself each day before I go to bed and before I awaken the next day.
It might be something we all need to do, whatever our faith tradition, to center ourselves in God as the day begins and the day ends. Or even if you don’t believe in God, to take a deep breath before the day begins and think about all the good things in your life and more than a few deep breaths before you go to sleep, keeping in mind those good things. I don’t think it would hurt us as a species, do you?
I really liked what you said here. This is deep subject. Obviously, there are different kinds (degrees) of prayer. My poetry book manuscript (yet unpublished) wrestles with “Pray without ceasing.”