At the risk of being labeled naïve and unrealistic, I am exploring in this week’s column a reality I have experienced myself on many occasions.
By way of disclaimer, it is important to note that this reality is most easily experienced when one consistently practices silence and solitude. These practices pave the way for more acute receptivity to the movements of the Holy One among us.
Establishing a consistent practice of silence and solitude doesn’t mean you have to become a hermit. But it does mean you must choose to step away from your daily routine and those in your orbit for a period of time each day, even if that period of time is 20 minutes in your prayer corner.
The reality about which I speak is that Love, with a capital L, is the underlying principle of all that is, and with spiritual discipline and devotion we can occasionally experience that reality ourselves in fleeting, but deeply fulfilling moments, even while the world around us burns to the ground.
The idea for this week’s exploration came from a post by Anam Cara Ministries on Thursday on Facebook. It partially reads:
“What would it be to trust that Love is the actual, deepest reality? That no matter how we see people treating each other—in the streets, in our homes—it is true that Love remains? That Love accompanies every one of us, caring for us and inviting us into our belovedness like each moment is a Jordan-River-baptism?
“It’s not what it looks like on the surface of things, though, is it? We grow increasingly frustrated as we watch beloved ones fighting, hurting each other, taking lives, denigrating what is precious and treating the precious as worthless.
“What would it look like for you to begin to take the awareness of this reality into everything? Into each interaction with a cashier or a fellow driver on the road or a family member where things feel even more complicated? Into each time you catch a glimpse of the news, into each conversation at work, into your own personal rhythms and tasks?
“What shifts in you—and in your sense of the world—when you see things through this lens?”
Personally, I am most able to experience Love as the underlying reality of all things when I am outdoors. But with the weather being so cold recently, I don’t spend much time outside other than when I take my dog, Zeke, out for a walk. And even then, when the wind stings me through my coat, I try to rush him along to finish his business so we can go back inside where it is nice and warm.
But after reading the post I shared above this week, I was mindful of its message while taking him outside Thursday evening.
It was dark, and the wind howled through the barren trees. This time, I let him take his time, while I allowed myself to be present to my environment. In those few moments – because of the capacity for mindful awareness that I have built through my contemplative practices – I was able, for a moment, to sense that sacred presence that is the Alpha and Omega of all things. The sacred presence that is gently unyielding to all of the chaos we generate for ourselves and for each other.
This week, I shared a photo of Pope Leo XIV engaging with a young blind woman. When it is said a picture speaks a thousand words, this picture spoke more.
Pope Leo, with a gentle smile on his face, held the young woman’s hand, as he drew it to his face, so she could ‘see’ him.
It was one of the most beautiful photographic images I have seen in a long time, as Pope Leo’s genuine way of gentleness, kindness and compassion shone brilliantly, yet humbly. The caption to the photo noted how everyone in the room was moved by the display.
With all the tension surrounding us these days, it might seem impossible to find these moments where we can experience the Love that underlies all things.
But it is not impossible.
Once we intentionally seek quiet, we will recognize there are limitless opportunities in our daily lives to witness this Love in big ways and small.
And when a critical mass forms, we will create our own peaceful revolution in the heart of the world.
SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column by Jerrilyn Zavada Novak that examines experiences common to the human spirit. Contact her at jzblue33@yahoo.com.