Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. Mark 1: 23-26

Be silent! Sometimes that's about the last thing we are able to do. And even if we don't open our mouths, our mind stay busy and are anything but silent. On Sunday afternoon, those of us at Gina Sager's mindfulness meditation class found this out. Part of our class time was spent sitting in silent meditation. One of the difficult pieces of silence is that once we are able to silence our outer world--to slow down for just a bit, away from phone, computer and television---the noise of our inner world becomes almost deafening. Maybe that's why silence is so hard. As one sits, knees crossed, on the carpet in the Upper Parish Hall, the day flies past in one's mind--the comments that dislodged some inner demon, the items still on our to- do list for that day or the next. One thought lead to another. Beyond the mental noise is Gina's calm voice saying "When you find yourself lost in thought, come back to the breath." We all do this again and again. As class continued, we talked about the pleasant and unpleasant events in the past week. We talked about how our expectation of a future event often leads to whether we perceive it as pleasant or unpleasant. If we expect something to be a certain way and it isn't, we often feel frustration. Where we finally came to is that we find events pleasant when the events happen "my way." Correspondingly, we find events unpleasant when they happen "not my way"! When we realize this, somehow we are able to live better in the mess that is life. But realizing our expectations and ways takes time. It takes quiet time with God and ourselves in prayer. In the Ignatian tradition is the practice of examen--when we take time of quiet at the end of our day to examine the events of the day, hand them over to God, and then rest. A good practice, but here's the hitch---it seems to me that the real problem with meditation and prayer is that it is so totally and completely countercultural. I thought of this as I made my way to Starbucks for an iced black tea today--an iced black tea to go. If you think about the occasion of coffee and tea in times past, coffee and tea were served at the end of a relaxing meal or as a way to reconnect with others in the business of the day. The coffee and tea allowed one to stay in relationship and conversation at the end of a full meal or when one was lagging at day's end. One of my surprises in South Africa was that there were no "to-go" cups of coffee--even at McDonald's. In China, tea was not served "to-go." In fact, the elaborate tea ceremony is a way to slow down in community. Now, fast forward to Starbucks- -on this beautiful springlike Monday, was anyone having a cup of joe or frozen latte on the terrace with a friend just shooting the breeze? No, everyone was rushing in to refuel for the next event. On Sunday evening, Gina shared with us that during her classes people are often late because they have gone to get a cup of coffee "to go" before meditation class. After a period of quiet meditation one day, one coffee-loving class member piped up: "Gee, I never realized how this coffee makes my heart pound." What would it be if we saved coffee drinking for times of fellowship? What if when we felt we needed some substance--food, candy, caffeine---to keep going, we stopped--just for a moment and took a deep breath. Better yet, what if we took some time to wonder if life is meant to be lived at warp speed fighting inner and outer demons at every turn? What if we were just silent a few times each day? What if we just slowed down on the outside and the inside from time to time? Hmmmm, yes, Jesus, I know...not a new concept. I just keep discovering the power of the practice of prayer and meditation again and again. It's been there all along--and I have zoomed right past it again and again, my cup of java in hand. It's even right there in Genesis---In the still silence, we may even hear God, walking quietly in the cool of the evening.

Text: Mark 1:29-39

Pondering: What does Jesus' rebuke "Be silent!" mean to you? Is silence frightening to you? Why might that be? Try a bit of silence this week-- and let the inner voices just glide by. In the breath, you will sense God--maybe just for a few seconds but that is enough.

In Christ's Love,