Covid & Contemplation
Several months ago, it felt like someone hit the pause button. The normal pace of life came to a stop when the light turned red. We were confined to our homes with minimal contact with others. Work, study, prayer, everything had been limited to singular space. It seemed like it was overnight that we were suddenly cloistered, by choice or necessity. For many, this can be seen as a burden. But, I wonder, might this shared pause be an opportunity for renewal?
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Some of the most profound and meaningful moments I have experienced in prayer have been at those unexpected stops in life. When the Holy Spirit catches your attention. The sudden realization of God’s presence while on a hike, sitting in church, the slow decent of the sun behind the ocean, in the embrace of a loved one or in a moment of reconciliation. God has a way of interrupting our lives and drawing us close through prayer. There is no denying that Covid-19 has interrupted our lives, but it has also given us the opportunity, space, and time to pray.
If there is one thing the saints and mystics of the church can teach us, it is how to pray. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Clare of Assisi, and others like them, past and present, have remineded us of the simplicity of prayer. Oftentimes people like St. Clare would find the intimacy and communion with the divine in the quiet stillness of their surroundings. They have shown us how accessible our great God is and how easy it can be to commune with the divine.
It has not been an easy time, but it has been renewing. We have been reminded of the essential, the significance of self-care, quality time with family, the inclusion of others, care for our neighbor, and the importance and impact of prayer. Prayer is an essential part of who we are as God’s children. But we don’t often take time to pray and spiritually recharge. Over the past few months, and in the months ahead, we are developing new habits. Why not make prayer one of them? When the light turns green we must remember to take time to pause and pray. The simplest way to pray…is just to pray: as you are, where you are.
Pax et Bonum +
Brother Joseph Murdy, Order of Lutheran Franciscans
Pastor Joseph Murdy
Pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church, McKees Rocks
jmurdyg@gmail.com