Recovering the Practice of Reflection

Choosing the One Thing Necessary to Experience Peace

Photo by Dan Freeman on Unsplash

The lost practice of reflection is on my mind these days. Our busyness, mental pre-occupation and speed of life itself, all combine to erode the need, value and life-giving benefits of lingering in thought, quietness and deeper ways of living.

The results of this kind of fast-living is a fragmented existance—void of inner peace and contentment. Ancient spiritual mothers and fathers all described another way of living and that we can actually and intentional learn the art of living a more reflective life. I believe we can live better when we practice the lost art of reflection.

Last month, I led 70 people in a retreat where instrumental music was played by a live trio of violin, harp and piano. Of course, we did several things in the retreat that were life-giving. But, this music did something deep and lasting in those who gathered. I’m floored to read the comments of dozens of the people who participated that all conveyed the power of wordless music being played and what happened in them as a result of this experience.The trio played an 8 minute, wordless piece titled “Arvo Part- Spiegel im Spiegel.” Google it and you’ll find many versions. Here’s a version you can watch and listen to.

Did you read that? 8 minutes of wordless music! In our evaluations and comments, THAT one piece of the entire retreat is at the very top of the highlights. We sat in silence. We listened reflectively. The music transported us to another place. This “other place” is the place of reflection. This place was apart from global conflict and division.

Sometimes, words, get in the way. Words—to0 many words can contribute to our oveload of soul. Fast preaching. Sermons delivered too fast—too much—distract rather than foster a space where we can absorb and reflect. This is what the American spiritual writer, Madeline L’Engle described:

“Word”

I, who live by words, am wordless when
I try my words in prayer. All language turns
To silence. Prayer will take my words and then
Reveal their emptiness. The stilled voice learns
To hold its peace, to listen with the heart
To silence that is joy, is adoration.
The self is shattered, all words torn apart
In this strange patterned time of contemplation
That, in time, breaks time, breaks words, breaks me,
And then, in silence, leaves me healed and mended.
I leave, returned to language, for I see
Through words, even when all words are ended.

I, who live by words, am wordless when
I turn me to the Word to pray. Amen.

--Madeleine L’Engle
The Ordering of Love

What’s missing in our world, in many of our church worship services and in our personal lives is the space to become reflective—the space to sit in wordless silence together. The noise around us; the noise within us; the “breaking news;” our busyness hijacks our good intentions to create space in our lives to foster and cultivate a quiet heart. I’ve noticed when our church has a “moment of silence” that the silence and space created by the shared silence bridges us together—makes us whole—when words can be too many and too much.

In the often talked about story of the two sisters entertaining Jesus in their home, we see ourselves in both of the sisters, named Martha and Mary. Martha is the busy one. Mary is the contemplative one. The message we hear most is the challenge to be a Mary in a Martha world. Understanding the “Martha world” we now live in is important to understand what the long-term effects are to us when we live fast, busy and loud.

But, what I understand more these days is that both of these sisters live and reside in my heart. Not just one of them—but both at the same time. I think the story here is best undestsood when we give up trying to be one sister and embrace that all of us—even those who live in monasteires live with both realities in the heart. Sometimes, I am one; or the other—or at times both. It is living divided—in an either or kind of existence. This is the inner noise—the inner volume—the inner space that gets hijacked and makes living in union with God impossible.

When Jesus commented on the dynamics of the two ways of living happening around him—perhaps even inside of him, he says, “Martha, you are worried and upset about many things (See Luke 10:38-42). The Message puts it this way, “Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing.”

Ouch! Fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. Fussing, getting worked up are indicators of a life knocked off center—a life hijacked by the tyranny of the urgent. It’s a life with too many demands and rivaling priorities that sinks the soul and deflates one’s contentment.

Jesus presses in on this inner conflict and says something short and to the point. “Only one thing is essential.” He explains that Mary has chose the one thing.

It’s the singular word “essential” that has somehow gotten lost in our lives it seems.

I’m suggesting that reflection is the one thing. Reflection is not just being quiet. It’s not just turning off the news and sitting still. Reflection is more than silence. Reflection is more than solitude after the kids are in bed asleep

Reflection is the act of abandoning thought; laying aside agenda and allowing oneself to be transported to an inner sanctum of space with you are truly alone with God. The word ‘alone” is really the combination of two words: all and the word, one. Reflection is being at one with oneself and one’s God. It is union with God. This is the “one thing” that is necessary to have a healthy soul in today’s world. The practice of reflection is the mental and heart conscent to enter a space with intention and desire.

For me, this kind of conscent is moving into the Mary space and moving from many things to the One.

The antidote for the annihilated heart is to practice reflection. We practice reflection when we intentionally choose and make the effort—choose to consent— to get quiet inside as well as experience a degree of quiet on the outside.

Here are a few ways of practicing reflection:

-Choose a time each day to honor the Mary heart inside of you. 10 minutes is suggested.

-Light a candle to help create a mood and establish a ritual to help anchor this new practice.

-Practice the Daily Examen. This podcast is the #1 listened to podcast! And helps explain how to do it.

-In your place of worship, explore with your leaders how adding 60 seconds of completle silence could be incorporated.

-Start your meals as family/couple/friends or alone in 60 seconde of silence as a way of de-toxing from the day’s events and welcome one another to being together.

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I’ve written a poem to help me say this in fewer words and with a meaning that poetry allows. This well-known story is so well known, we can rush by and miss a deeper, nourishing meaning for us today—this day when we are bombarded by so much. Take a moment and read the poem. I’d be so curious to hear one line or phrase that seems to stand out to you like it is being high-lighted by a yellow marker in our conscious for you to remember. Perhaps, this just might be your invitation to “conscent”. Thank you for those of you who support my work in prose and poetry. The way, Substack is set up is that you can make that choice to cheer me forward and onward. And if you can’t, just tell me at info@pottersinn.com and we’ll add you to the list to get it all!