One of the things I appreciate most about this new season in my life (being part of the work a day world, instead of the student life) is that I am better about routines and rituals. These daily moments bring me great joy and satisfaction. Taking care of my body and my soul brings me more pleasure now that taking care of my brain is only one part of the process. Graduate studies emphasized the brain. Now, I am feeling a bit more whole and it is largely due to some newly incorporated daily exercises or practices.
In the morning, before departing for work, I have taken to journeying through elements of Ignatian Spirituality. For now, I am using the Suscipe prayer that reads:
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding
and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.
You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace.
That is enough for me.
This centering practice reminds me every day that I am whole. It also reminds me that I have enough. That love and grace are enough. I like to be online, to find one more amazingly handcrafted item that I would like to add to my collection. But the truth is, that in and of itself is not fulfilling my larger need to be content.
After the prayer and meditation, I'll move on to 10 minutes of yoga or pilates. And then my day unfolds into more mundane tasks like packing my lunch or finding my always misplaced glasses. Later in the day, when the stress of life starts to pile up, I've found "That is enough for me" gently nudging me along.
Another life-giving reflection is the Prayer for Generosity also by St. Ignatius of Loyola:
Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for reward,
save that of knowing that I do your will.
May your day be centered and true. May you find joy in what is enough. May you find yourself giving without counting the cost.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
1 comment:
Inspiring. I enjoyed the spiritual exercises of Ignatius that we read for seminary. I am glad you found an opportunity and resource for being centered. I found the People's Companion to the Breviary to be such a blessing while I was at Oasis Catolico--so I purchased the two volume set. And...I chuckled at your comment about looking for your glasses. That is a very "Bethany" activity!
Post a Comment