New Year 2013

CALM DAY

Calm day, I needed a break –

went to the seashore. Lovely

blue sky – no one around –

I had the seashore to myself –

deep silence – could hear

roaring waves in the distance . 

I could not have asked for a

better day.

Feed some gulls with left over food –

they were grateful.

I need a break – inside I am

bleeding. Police crack heads again

of peaceful demonstrators at Zuccotti Park.

Iran gave up its nuclear weapons program in

2003

yet we still taunt it – bully it –

threats of war.

Massacre of civilians in Afghanistan –

War making provokes such hatred.

All of this turns inside of me –

I carry a load – internal bleeding.

Despite the sunshine, I sit in darkness –

sitting in two worlds.

But quiet of the sea – silence –

give me hope – language of God

is silence – divine speaks in silence.

So let me pray – I will ask Jesus

to carry again cross of the world.

It is too much for me.  He will do it

as he did it before.

He is the hope – king.

He takes my desperation – turns it into confidence.

St. Paul said: “For those with faith,

All things turn out well.”

Robert Trabold

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NEW YEAR 2013

Robert Trabold

          As the old year ends and the New Year starts, we take time out to take stock of our life.  Where have gone in 2012? Where do we want to go in 2013? What is essential and important in our life? What is unnecessary, harmful and distracts us from our true path? In our life in the modern industrial world, this can be a challenge.  We tend to be busy with many things and responsibilities for our work, schooling, family, interests, etc. We hardly have time for and to reflect on ourselves.  Also, the modern world and the various mass media bombard us with different values and ways of orientating ourselves. To find our way through this maze is not so easy.  Wherever we turn, someone is pointing us in a different direction. It can be hard to sort it all out and find real maturity and Christian depth.  In our faithful practice of meditation each day, we can discern what is essential to our growth as humans and what is non-essential.  Jesus tells us that the Spirit dwells in our hearts – the Spirit of Love – the source of our life and we need to become aware of its presence.

            Through  the of  practice of meditation, we put ourselves in contact with this life source which then helps us grow and mature in the fullness of being – in the mystery of our time and journey on earth. Jesus calls us to understand the sacredness of our humanity and being and to allow our spirit to have the space to grow in this.  Meditation facilitates our spirit to grow in this space.  Growth and expansion is found in the silence of meditation; through this silence, we touch the infinite silence of God – the eternal silence. Through this practice, we come to see what is necessary for us to grow in this divine space and to see what humility, compassion and understanding are needed.

            The tradition of meditation and our daily practice of it is a commitment to enter into this path and be faithful to it.  It is the time of the day when we make contact with the divine Spirit – Source – and make room for it.  We have to reflect on our schedule and commitments and find out how we can make room to meditate twice a day for twenty minutes each time. We find a corner in the house where we have a small altar, statue, flowers, candles, etc which helps us enter the spirit of concentration and meditation. We have to experiment with our posture to see what helps us enter into the contemplative mood. The position of our hands, body and eyes are important. We can get advice from various meditation movements who offer valuable information to help us develop this discipline of silence.  In our cultivation of this, we touch the ground of our being, our life’s source. Through the time of meditation and repetition of the mantra, we make contact with the Source of Life and build our values and orientation around it.  Human living is a mixed bag and there is always much confusion around us.  But such is our journey on earth.  Over the years, as we are faithful to our discipline of silence and to the practice of meditation, Jesus will lead us to the Spirit of Love who dwells within our hearts and helps us put our lives on a mature and deeply Christian orientation which will last us through the years on earth and into eternal life.