Meditation Monday - What Have We Lost?

Practices for the Easter Season

This last week I spent quite a bit of time reconfiguring my sacred space for the Easter season. I put away my purple Lenten candles and images of Christ on the cross and prepared them with a single white candle and images of joy and celebration. Yesterday I felt frustrated because some of the elements I want to incorporate into my sacred space are not yet available.

Suddenly my eyes were caught by a phrase I wrote during the first of the Lenten Sourdough workshops I attended. “If I do not take the time to rest what have I lost?” Good bread needs lots of time to rest between the short active steps that are needed to give it the flavour and the consistency it is meant to have. “Take time to rest” was not my focus however. My eyes fixated on the words “what have I lost?” It reminded me of a book I read many years ago that talked about what people need to give up in order to move from poverty into the middle class. Primarily the book concluded, they give up community for productivity.

What am I in danger of losing in this season if I do not slow down and take time to notice the world around me and to rest before plunging into another productive project? And I realize even the rearrange of my desk can be a busy and productive project. So this morning I sit in the middle of my half finished space asking myself “What will I lose if I push for productivity in space and don’t take time to rest in the midst of my reconstruction of my space?” I read through the prayers that are already arranged around my space, indulged in a short morning breathing exercise and just sat in the presence of God savour the wonder of the holy and eternal One present all around me.

Rest in the middle of a creative journey encourages us to savour the journey and creativity without being worried about the end result. Rest invites the mystical presence of the Eternal One into the process and allows the life giving Spirit to infuse what we are doing with a holy flavour. It permits the awe and wonder of the Divine presence to intertwine with our own thoughts and ideas and create something that is truly sacred, unique and inviting.

As I sit here this morning I am reminded that Lent here in Seattle coincides with season of planting seeds but the Easter season is mainly a season for waiting. I plant and then I wait for the seedlings to emerge and grow strong enough to be transplanted into larger pots. Then I wait again until they are big enough to be planted into the garden. Then comes the longest stage of waiting of all when I examine them almost every day to see if there is fruit or flowers forming and watch anxiously to see if they will produce a small or large harvest. I have learned over the years that I don’t have much control over the harvest. Yes I plant and I build up the soil but it is God who does the growing and the fruiting. And it seems to me that the productivity of the season is determined mainly by things beyond my control. Soil and air temperature, hours of sunlight, rain and wind, and pollinators all affect the harvest and I just sit and wait.

So today I sit and wait for the remaining elements for decorating my space to arrive. One will come in the mail, one will be given by a friend and a third element will be the summer meditation garden I have still to put together. And my seedlings are not big enough to plant in it yet. However, as I wait I savour what is already here. I relish the breathing exercises and the prayers I use on a daily basis to welcome the day and invite the presence of God into all I do. I have missed that during Lent when I was often busily consumed with reading a devotional first thing in the morning. And I think about what else have I lost touch with that needs to be reestablished for the coming season.

Summer is always a time of busy community gatherings and hospitality for my husband and myself. We love to entertain and I relish the preparations that make these gatherings possible. So in this waiting time I make not just my sacred space but the whole of our home and garden a fitting place in which gather and invite the presence of God to gather with us.

What do you feel you have lost during the season of Lent that needs to be reestablished in the Easter season? How do you grow the seeds God planted and prepare for the harvest? Here are the prayers I have found most helpful in the mornings. I shared them on my Substack Live session on Saturday and I hope you enjoy them too.

The first prayer is one I have used over many years as a centering prayer during different seasons. The second is one written by Pope Francis that was sent to me shortly after his death.

God of creation, God of the earth.
Holy and mighty One, 
Righteous and faithful One,
I sit and listen to what delights your heart.
I centre myself on you today.
I breathe in the wonder of eternal love, 
Dance to the rhythm of eternal breath.
Listen to the whispers 
Calling me to slow down and take notice. 
I centre myself on you today.
I choose to delight 
In the glory of the everlasting, ever present One,
Enjoying the beauty of divine presence, 
Unfurling all around me. 
My soul is at rest, my spirit at peace,
God is renewing, restoring, transforming.
I centre God on you today.
God is in me, God is around me.
Behind, before, on left and on right.
God is with me, wherever I go. 
I centre myself on God today.

It seems an appropriate time to join together to pray A PRAYER FOR OUR EARTH - by Pope Francis (From his letter “On Care for our Common Home”)

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace. Amen