Take 10 for Him

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"Brothers and sisters: I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..." ~ Rom 1:16

Saint Paul courageously proclaimed those words to the Romans. I witnessed a friend boldly proclaim the same at Mass in the Chapel last night. They are powerful words! I could have stopped right then and spent an hour reflecting on this. I have been since.

If we took a poll, my guess is that most Christians would agree and say they are not ashamed of the Gospel. But, would others know that about us? Do we live like the power of God reigns over our lives?

Do we share with others the Good News that salvation is for everyone who believes?

Do we even know how the Lord wants us to do this?

Unless we are ordained preachers, our "how" isn't always clear.

"Lord, make me know Your ways. Lord, teach me Your paths. Make me walk in Your truth, and teach me: for You are God my Savior." ~ Psalm 25

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Take 10 for Him

Years ago, I attended a few Retreats to practice the art of contemplative prayer. This is where I learned to sit in the Silence, shut away the world, and just be still. I learned to meet the Lord in my own space, uninterrupted, and only for Him. It takes practice. I found it helpful to picture my heart filled with all the stuff that is my life and visualize a small white speck that is God. He is always there. I don't always see Him. As I focus on that space and think of nothing but His presence, that white speck grows and I feel Him. Thomas Merton said, "My deepest me is always God."

We all have that space. We all need to go there every day, even if only for 10 minutes. It's where we meet God who is waiting for us. It's where we hear the Holy Spirit who will calm us and guide us. It's where love meets LOVE and we become our best.

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We've been watching the world crumble with war in faraway places, violence in local places and pain in the hearts of so many. What is happening?

Early Monday morning I read:

"Be still, and know that I am God!" ~ Ps 46:11 "I am standing at the door, knocking, says the Lord." ~ Rev 3:20

I immediately stopped what I had planned for that day to spend time in Contemplative Prayer. I decided to turn off all distractions for a while -- no phone, no music, no TV, no computer, no coffee, no food, no morning workout -- I just sat in the Silence.

Eyes closed.

Seated upright.

No fidgeting.

Breathing in slowly. Breathing out slowly.

Being, not Doing.

God and me alone.

This time is for you, God. I give myself to You. I stop everything for You.

I set a prayer timer to make sure I didn't skimp on a single second. (I use an APP for that. Details at the bottom.) When the soft chime marked the end of my time, I wondered:

What would happen if every person on Earth took 10 minutes every day to sit still in Silence and let God clear out the muck in our minds and hearts?

We all take breaks and set aside time for various reasons throughout our day -- coffee breaks, snack breaks, bathroom breaks, email breaks, phone breaks... exercise time, drive time, news time, dinner time, bath time, bed time...

We make time to pray and ask God for blessings for ourselves and others. We make time to read the Bible or Spiritual writings.

We take time to peruse social media, catch up on the news, shop for items both needed and simply wanted. Think of all the things we make time to do on any given day.

But, do we take time to sit in the Silence and do nothing but listen to God? Listening, not leading.

Being, not doing.

PAUSE & PONDER

• If you were able to sit with your favorite singer, would you listen to a recording of them, or would you sit and listen to what they want to sing in that moment?

• If you were in the presence of your favorite author, would you read one of their books in front of them, or would you sit and listen to what they want to say in that moment?

• If you were to sit in the Silence with your Savior, wouldn't you want to hear what He has to say to you in that moment?

St. Mother Teresa said, "God speaks in the silence of the heart."

Matthew 6:6 says, "But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you."

What if every person took a daily 10-minute break from the world

and stopped searching, thinking, doing, moving, and trying?

When we tell a friend, 'I can't. I have too much to do.' -- It doesn't feel good to say it or hear it. When we hit the bed later than we had hoped, accomplishing less than we planned, and realizing we hardly spent any time with the Lord -- It doesn't feel good to do it or admit it.

What would God say to us about those moments?

Even the busiest person in the world can take 10 minutes out of the 1,440 they are given each day. Even the most intelligent, most spiritual person in the world would benefit from taking 10 minutes to sit in the Silence with Him and clear the muck.

Will you try it with me and invite others to join us?

Are we ashamed to tell our family or coworkers that we wish to not be disturbed for 10 minutes as we sit in the Silence with the Lord?

When we listen and are true to what He is telling us to do,

our day is better and we make the world a better place.

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Take 10 to clear the muck

Reflect on the Readings this week as an encouragement to take 10 for Him ~

Sunday: You are invited to a great banquet. (Is 25, Ps 23, Phil 4, Mt 22)

Monday: Something greater is here. (Lk 11:29-32)

Tuesday: Give from within and everything will be clean for you. (Lk 11:37-41)

Wednesday: If you share in peace, peace will flow to others and return to you. (Lk 10:1-9)

Thursday: When we don't enter, we can hinder others from entering. (Lk 11:47-54)

Friday: How we feel in the dark inside, will show itself in the light outside. (Lk 12:1-7)

Saturday: The Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour. (Lk 12:8-12)

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