It was a pretty normal weekend for us here in Wexford.  Getting back from a late night in Dublin, we all enjoyed a lie-in on Saturday morning/afternoon.  Msgr. Denis Lennon presided at the vigil Mass and the folk group Mass, so we got to hear his homily on contemplative prayer twice.  So in case we were “meditating” or “contemplating” during the homily on Saturday night, we got an extra shot at getting the message on Sunday!

The message was that we need to be quiet with God; there is so much noise in our daily lives and we need to make a real effort to give God the quiet time to reveal Himself to us.  Christian Mediation is gaining popularity in Ireland and we seem to be hearing about it every few days.  In his homily, Msgr. Denis quoted Teresa of Avila and St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who are two well known contemplatives.  St. Thérèse’s peers asked her what she said to God in her hours of adoration, and she said that she doesn’t say anything and just lets God love her.  She also said that prayer for her is “a simple look turned towards heaven.”  Contemplative prayer is not meant to replace any sacraments or other devotions, but it is meant to be part of a healthy prayer life. And a very important part!  All relationships are about give and take, talking and listening.  For me the talking comes pretty naturally, so I know that the listening part is something I need to work on! Mass and the rosary are two of my favorite ways to pray and I can see how the practice of meditation and learning to quiet my mind would help me give and gain more in these prayers as well.

A few weeks ago we went to a workshop on teaching children to meditate in a Christian context, and the man who ran this workshop (Noel Keating) came to the church yesterday to prepare the parish team to go into schools and lead a training for the teachers who want to start this practice.  Here’s a website that talks about the method that we will be teaching, which was developed by John Main, OSB.

http://www.cominghome.org.au/

We’ll keep you updated on how this all turns out and in the mean time feel free to check out Christian meditation if you’re not familiar with it!

And as Psalm 46 once said…Be still and know that I am God…