Taking the Inward Journey
Lockdown can be a very trying time. It is also the case this time around that the restrictions are the most severe we have had imposed on us so far. The day we were told by our political leaders to not enter into conversation with friends we may encounter as we do our dash to the shops, appears to have been the day that we had stripped away from us our last bit of humanity.
Let us not allow this pandemic (and the circumstances it imposes on us) to dehumanise us. We must draw on our innermost being as a source of courage, determination, and faithfulness. Prayer is the way to that place of courage, determination, and faithfulness. Prayer has the capacity to centre us on that which is most important. Prayer reminds us of what the ideal is. Prayer can be a time and place for solitude, regeneration, reconnection.
Interestingly, for many of the saints and mystics of the Church, winter has often been regarded as the time of the year for retreating, for taking that inward journey to meet the soul. In a recent conversation with a cousin of mine, we were asking each other about the experiences of lockdown. My cousin noted that because she was home bound and not receiving visitors, she had a lot more time for prayer. During lockdown, she is spending more time taking that inward journey.
In the words of a Carmelite priest, prayer involves “learning about ourselves ... who we are, what we have received, what we can become. To pray is to release the almost infinite possibilities hidden within every human heart. To know ourselves as God knows us, to realise how we have been gifted by nature and by grace, is to break out automatically in prayer.”
Praying together as the St Patrick’s community can be a powerful thing—even when the communal praying is done remotely. Even during lockdown, prayer is our special way of connecting to each other, and it is a way of connection which can be just as meaningful and powerful as being in each other’s physical presence. An extra dimension to the power of communal prayer is to acknowledge that whenever our St Patrick’s community gathers in prayer, it is as if the whole Christian Church throughout the world is gathered in prayer.
As St Paul urges in his Letter to the Ephesians, “In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.” (Ephesians 6:18)
Take care and stay safe. And let us keep praying for one another.
Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator