A Time to Contemplate

Photo by Aaron Burden at Unsplash

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot . . .  Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

I awoke this morning dreaming of a different world where love and goodness prevailed; where there was more joy and gentleness; where pain and suffering were no more; a world without violence and hatred. And then it occurred to me that I could counter the news media’s images with my imaginings of a more harmonious world, not just for myself but for everyone.

A few years ago I was doing some research on the Desert Mothers and Fathers who lived in the 3rd -5th centuries AD and whose lives were dedicated to invoking prayer throughout their daily activities. This was their routine: pray, work, pray, eat, pray, other activities, pray, eat another meal, pray to finish the day. I guess we stopped doing so much daily prayer when we moved toward industrialization and cultivating more modern societies. In the monastic tradition these set times of prayer (matins, lauds, prime, terce, sext, none, vespers, and compline) brought the community together in a holy ritual but also blessed the activities that followed the praying. It seems a bit over the top to our 21st century mentality.

Just this past week, I learned about the continuing tradition when some friends in Australia who were just reeling from a typhoon shared this about the sikhs. They said that the sikhs chanted as they prepared food for the poor and suffering, especially during a natural disaster. That means that even today monastic orders still practice this ancient ritual of dedicated prayer times. I wondered what that would look like today in a society with so much busyness going on. According to scripture ritualized prayer was not just for the religious. To pray unceasingly (1 Thessalonians 5:16) is something we all can do with a little imagination and without turning prayer into a tiresome habit or marathon.

You might be thinking who has time for all of this contemplation, it’s a bit over the top. You’ve got work, family, grocery shopping, volunteering, and the list goes on. When is there time? I know some days I barely fit in my evening prayers before collapsing onto my bed. Just imagine —the beauty of praying unceasingly— you can pray anywhere at any time. I’m convinced more intentional prayer throughout the day might be the most sacred element we can weave into our social fabric during these days of a global transformation.

According to Louis Lallemant (1587-1635) these opportunities to connect to the holy are nothing short of miraculous in a way of deepening our love for the divine:

Contemplation is a perception of God or of divine things; simple, free penetrating, certain, proceeding from love and tending to Love.

And you might be closer to the rhythms of the Desert Fathers and Mothers then you think. I’ll share with you my experience not to demonstrate any mastery, but to give an example of how you probably already pray a lot during the day. Insert your daily routine as you read: 1. On waking up in the morning, pray in gratitude for being alive to experience a new day; 2. Morning prayer or meditation; 3. pray at lunchtime, another opportunity to express thanks for the food you have access to and possibly the shared meal with someone you care about; 4. on your afternoon walk pray/chant (ong namo guru dev namo) a Sanskrit phrase which roughly translates into “I bow to the divine teacher within”; 5. pray before you begin your afternoon work or activity; 6. pray during your commute home at the end of your day; 7. pray at dinnertime and 8. pray for another beautiful day on earth before going to bed. That’s 8 times of prayer and you’re not even a monk! Prayer is a balm for the soul and the body.

When we pray we are expressing Love interrupting the monotonous drone of the news —or whatever else is distracting our minds—throughout the day and who knows how many others are praying at the same time as you, around the world. We are truly connected.

In closure I share with you the power of love and connection through movement as demonstrated by the Ebinum Brothers.