ARTICLES

The globalised economy has given rise to increased complexities, shifting forces of power, unprecedented social, moral and ethical challenges and a fair dose of confusion. It cau­ses constant change that is overpowering to the extent that it seems to evoke a spirit of restlessness.

Time has become a source of stress for us. We never have enough time to do everything we would like to do, or to take all the decisions we need to take. And very often the stress and feeling of being overwhelmed by the limitations of time mean we give up the very lifeblood of our spiritual journey – sacred time. Little do we realise that prayer and meditation help us to instil value, prioritise and balance our daily tasks. We are intoxicated by the false notion that we are what we manage to produce, and that success is unattainable unless our diary is packed with all sorts of tasks. We are lost in ‘doing’ rather than ‘being’.

In Amos 8:11, the Lord declares: “The time is surely coming, when I will send famine on the land – not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord.” In fact, despite our thriving economy, we are already suffering this famine… we lack not bread or water, the basic necessities or even the latest luxuries, but a profound search for truth and meaning.

As Benedictine monk Laurence Freeman, says: “Our sense of self has evolved. The modern sense of self is very different from the traditional or ancient self, a sense of self which was embedded in a particular culture, belonging to a community with local traditions, being known to a certain group of people, being able to share things with them. There is a great need to be a local as well as to be a global citizen. We’ve lost the embeddedness of our sense of identity within a particular culture or community or religion or local group.”

As people of a secular age, we face a crisis of self-knowledge. Who am I? What is my existential purpose? How can I cope with stress and anxiety in an ever changing world, which seems to demand more than I can handle? These are questions of identity and meaning which drive people to the psychiatrist’s couch.

As Christ says in Matthew 4:4: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” As Christians we are called to a universal faith, which contemplative practices guide us into unification – a true communion – not only with our creator, but also with other cultures and nations around the world. To the extent that we pray and strive to live our faith, we become part of Christ’s mystical body. And it is this mystical experience with Christ that lights the flame of love in one’s heart. It unifies our humanity with Christ’s divinity, and ultimately leads to mutual respect, commonality and strong communities.

Prayer and meditation and other forms of sacred space are the paths for self-knowledge. This self-knowledge goes beyond mere psychological self-awareness or insight. It is a self-knowledge where we move into the mystery of being, of our own being and the ground of being.

As we find in Romans 8:26: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans”. And a single groan before God may have more fullness of prayer in it than a fine oration of great length. For true prayer is measured by weight, not length. (C.H. Spurgeon)

The sacred dimension resonates in every living thing. When we reduce this sacred dimension, as is happening in our culture, where we constantly look at our watches and fill our diaries, when all that matters is a thriving economy or personal success at the cost of safeguarding morality and ethical behaviour, we wander in a secular desert, where our bodies lose their soul, the very essence that gives life.

Gordon Vassallo is an accredited spiritual guide at the Centre of Ignatian Spirituality.