Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Waging Peace

Our national and international attention has been on war for the past four years. It has been said that everyone desires peace. I am not sure that the evidence would support such a claim. The war that we wage in Iraq has resulted in so many negative outcomes. We have given up freedoms in hope of greater security. This hope has evaporated as The Patriot Act has stripped us of civil liberties and violent attacks and threats have increased around the world. We have believed that our show of force in Iraq would stabilize the Middle East. Instead, we have enraged the Islamic world and created instability throughout the region. We were told that we would liberate the powerless. Rather, our show of force and violence has only unmasked US as the powerful against the powerless. We were told that a limited amount of national treasury would be used to overthrow our “enemy”. The monetary price tag has almost reached a trillion dollars. The price tag in human life is staggering. More than 600,000 civilians have been killed. As many as 200 Iraqis die every day. More than 3,000 American soldiers have given their lives. The number of our wounded men and women is far more than the official 24,000 reported to us. There are no numbers to estimate the number of wounded Iraqis. It is time to abandon the violence. We do not have the right to continue. We do not have the right to kill. Easter is approaching. It is time to listen to the words of the one who said "How blessed are the peacemakers". We are called to bring harmony and reconciliation between those who are estranged. We must seek to create understanding and produce loving relationships where there was hatred.

It is time to wage peace.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Scattered Thinking

“There is so much to do and so little time.” Words like these could be the mantra of current times. We take ourselves and our work so seriously that entire days are consumed by urgent tasks. When we finally come to a halt in the evening our minds often remain with a job on which we are working. Our passionate and excessive work ethic is dangerous. It seems financially necessary to be so wrapped up in what we do. Thoughts sometimes are racing and scattered. Sleep is disturbed or difficult.

It is important to develop a habit of quieting your mind. Nothing good happens when your thoughts fly from one thing to the next. We are worried about what there is yet to do or what might have left unfinished during the day. The real cause for this is worry. St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians: “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” This is good counsel. Prayer, meditation and becoming centered have the power to bring calm to our thinking and put us back on the right path. It is important to find a quiet place for quick retreat. Even the bathroom will work. But it should be known that you are not to be disturbed for twenty minutes. Start by listening to your breathing. The rhythm of the in and out begins to block out other noise inside your head. Think of the most serene and beautiful place that you have ever seen. Drift to that place and begin your prayer. Give thanks for your life, your family, friends and vocation. Ask for peace and perspective. Smile. You are safe. There is nothing to worry about. All will be well. Now you can go out and receive the ones who love you and give them the attention that they deserve. Your mind will no longer be scattered. You will be attending to what is REALLY important.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Paying Attention

I remember being a little boy and being told to “Pay Attention!”. This command was always given by a teacher, a parent, or some older person who thought that I should be listening to what they had to say. I occasionally drifted off, like most children, to someplace that was not so mundane or boring. They sometimes called it daydreaming. The truth is that kids don’t find everything that adults offer up as vitally interesting. There are more important things like a bug crawling toward Sally’s elbow, butterflies dancing in the window, fish and frogs that are waiting at the pond for me, forts in the woods, a pie cooling on Mom’s windowsill. Now those things command attention! Like most people, though, I grew up and away from the daydreams, the fantasy and the anticipation. My focus became the work at hand, problems to solve and tasks to complete. And the world slips by in the process. I don’t even see bugs very often except the kinds that I should spray. Butterflies get smashed on my windshield on the way to work. Ponds are stagnant and need to be cleaned. The woods are in my back yard yet rarely even get visited. Mom has been gone for a long time…there are no more pies on the windowsill.

It is important to take some time during this season of renewal prior to Easter. I was reminded by a patient of mine that “I’ve never seen a U-Haul behind a hearse”. There are so many interesting details buzzing around us every single minute of every single day. It does not take much discipline, but does require a desire, to take an opportunity to notice what is REALLY going on. Forget about the war, politics, the market, work, duties and responsibilities for just a while today. Walk outside and look around, take a deep breath, sit in the grass, and celebrate God’s gift that is before you. It’s free! Then take it with you and then daydream about it here and there. Someone might say “Pay Attention!”…you can respond “Oh, I Am!”.