I am sure many of us have a few disciplines---spiritual or otherwise. Sometimes, I think discipline is a synonym for routine, but then I understand a routine is something I do without thinking. At least for me, spiritual disciplines still require a little intentionality and sometimes some extra motivation. No matter how important I think spiritual disciplines are for me, I still don’t do them automatically. I don’t think I am mature yet!
I am sure this is one reason I am drawn to read some of the saints and greats of Christian tradition, as well as some from other spiritual traditions, too. They continue to inspire and sometimes offer little tidbits that are quite helpful to those of us still on the maturation journey. One such person I very much like to read is Thomas Merton, the famous monk from last century. It is easy to relate to Merton, because he is such a modern kind of guy. Even after joining the pretty strict monastery, the Abbey of Gethsemani, in Kentucky, Merton still spoke like a common person who was trying to figure out life.
Another person who likes Merton and whom I also read and appreciate is Richard Rohr. Rohr is a Franciscan living in New Mexico. He is about my age and, like Merton, seems like an average guy trying to figure out life. I think Merton was too ornery as a person ever to be declared officially a saint by the Catholic Church and Rohr likely falls into this category. They won’t be saints, but for me they are great.
Like I do, Rohr writes a daily inspirational piece. I read it regularly. Recently he wrote one that spoke to my condition, as Quakers would say. He talked about a thirty-day retreat he did in 1985 as he finished one ministry and was doing some soul-searching before launching into his next ministry. He had a relationship with the monks at Gethsemani, so they let him have Merton’s hermitage, located about a mile away from the main monastery.
Merton had moved to this little cabin about three years before his untimely death in 1968. Normally monks live in community and Merton had done this since entering in 1941. He felt more and more led to move into a situation where he would be alone with God. That occasionally happens for monks as they mature into the fullness of their calling. They opt for the solitary life for the deepest of spiritual reasons. However, Merton needed the abbot’s approval for this to take place. It was only after a considerable number of years that permission was granted.
I have been to the hermitage many times. It is situated alone in the middle of the rolling Kentucky hills. It is just you and nature---trees, squirrels and birds. If you were prone to loneliness, it would be a nightmare! You would learn a ton about yourself and, perhaps, God. It was to this scene Rohr retired to face God and, maybe more importantly, himself. I was intrigued by his account. I smiled about his first day. He says, “That first morning, it took me a while to slow down. I must have looked at my watch at least ten times before 7:00 AM!”
Rohr quotes Catholic priest William McNamara’s definition of contemplation to make a point. McNamara says it is “a long loving look at the real.” Rohr says “this became transformative for me. The world, my own issues and hurts, all my goals and desires gradually dissolved and fell into proper perspective. God became obvious and ever present.” What a gift to have everything fall into perspective.
One thing that became clear for Rohr was that it was only his tiny place in the universe, but that it was also a good thing. Reflecting on that he comments, “Cosmic or spiritual joy is something we participate in; it comes from elsewhere and flows through us. It has little or nothing to do with things going well in our own life at that moment. I remember thinking that this must be why the saints could rejoice in the midst of suffering.” There have been moments I believe I also have experienced cosmic joy. Sometimes it happens in nature. These experiences are self-transcending. They are not about me and my little self. To the contrary, I seem to be pulled out of myself and to be part of a much bigger world.
The good news is we don’t have to go to a hermitage to have this kind of experience of reflection. We don’t even have to go to Kentucky! But we probably do have to be willing to spend time by ourselves or, at least, in community committed to reflecting on the bigger and deeper things in life. I believe God has immensity in store for us, but I fear I am living a “too little life” to experience immensity.
Usually, I don’t even think about my life being too little. It is easy to be too busy or too distracted with stuff I declare important (and may not be important at all). I spend too much time outside myself---dealing with others, watching tv, etc. I am sure this is why Rohr went to the hermitage. I want to do the same kind of thing---in my bedroom or sitting on a bench by the river or lake. I suspect I need a little time to be open, to become receptive. I likely will look at my watch too often in the beginning. But God is patient.
God will finally offer us a long loving look.
Those of us who have read theology or, perhaps, those who are people of faith and are old enough might well recognize this title as a reminder of the late Jewish philosopher and theologian, Martin Buber. I remember reading Buber’s book, I and Thou , when I was in college in the 1960s. It was already a famous book by then. I am not sure I fully understood it, but that would not be the last time I read it. It has been a while since I looked at the book. Buber came up in a conversation with a friend who asked if I had seen the recent article by David Brooks? I had not seen it, but when I was told about it, I knew I would quickly locate and read that piece. I very much like what Brooks decides to write about and what he contributes to societal conversation. I wish more people read him and took him seriously. Brooks’ article focused on the 2016 contentious election. He provocatively suggests, “Read Buber, Not the Polls!” I think Brooks puts
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