What does forever mean? How do we measure something that has no time
or place? Webster’s Dictionary describes
perpetual as being in constant motion, happening at all times and everlasting. When we come to think of the many things
offered to us by shear nature, do we understand what is taking place? In our short lifetime, God offers us many
opportunities to get to know Him and to become closer to Him. Why then are we constantly struggling with
this relationship? Many of us go through
life with blinders on and cannot see the water through the trees. In today’s society there are so many
obstacles placed before us. Distractions
seem to occupy our time and delay us in seeking out those answers we so
desperately need. In my limited capacity
and in my time here on Earth, I have found it a necessity to find the time for
reflection, to be by myself in a quiet place and to try and reconnect with the
environment and elements that surround us.
Remember the song ‘Love is all around me’? We adore our family, the color of the sky,
the scent of a candle or our first car.
These things enrapt us and bind us together. We are all part of the bigger picture and
united by our common belief in everything that is good about each other. It might be mind-boggling to venture that
what we touch, feel or sense is God. He
is in the wood from the table from which we gather to eat, the grass under our
feet and in the very air we breathe.
True love and not this puppy love so prevalent in our throwaway society
is what Jesus preached so long ago.
“Won’t you spend an hour with me?”
It was His belief that contemplation was not only good for the spirit
but for the mind and body as well. It
gives us the opportunity to recharge after a hectic day, to reflect on a past
occurrence or to remember a time when we the world was young. Call it ‘lumosity for the soul’. We exercise our bodies, why not our minds?
Establishing that link with God brings much
contentment, satisfaction and healing.
It also provides us with the many blessings bestowed upon the church
faithful for this simple act of prayer. St. Teresa of Avila once said that “To converse with You, O King of glory, no third person is needed; You
are always ready in the Sacrament of the Altar to give audience to all. All who
desire You always find You there, and converse with You face to face."
The need for such a connection to someone or something greater than
ourselves has never been as grave as it is today. We need to find ways we can bridge those gaps
between gender, race, inequality, language, and ignorance. We can sit together, side by side and without
saying a word, come closer to understanding and recognizing the significance of
each other.
Adoration allows us the freedom to worship without boundaries and
without the limitations we so selfishly put upon one another. For a moment in time, we are all equal before
God, placing our sins and our prayers in place before His altar. Frightening as this may seem, it becomes a
release. There has always been a true
sense of calmness as I left the chapel.
It is not as hard to fill an hour as you may think. In time, an hour is but a fleeting moment in
the fabric of eternity. To the people of
Saint Matthew and to the world, believe me when I say that you will
change. You might not notice it at
first, but to the people around you, you are a little kinder, a little more
tolerant and a little more loving. Take
a little diversion from life and you may find yourself saying to Him – I am and
always will be ‘Perpetually Yours’.
May you find revelation in the silence of prayer,
may your hour before God be one of the best of your life and may His peace be
with you, always.