We
do need hope! We need hope as we witness the distress of our brothers and
sisters who are suffering with the virus. We need hope as we are barraged
by stories about the pandemic and its economic toll. We need hope that the
violence in our streets will be ended with peaceful walks with justice for
all—these days that seem to blend one into the other—will not last forever.
We need hope that we will be able to return to our routines and some
semblance of life as we knew it.
I
have noticed that as I encounter the endless onslaught of sad and
distressing stories, I hold my breath. Perhaps it is the uncertainly of it
all, or maybe I’m holding my breath and waiting to hear something good. Or
perhaps, as one friend put it, “I’m holding my breath and waiting for the
other shoe to drop.” As I talk with friends, I hear the widespread feeling
that despite our best efforts to social distance, cover our faces, and
sanitize, we don’t have a lot of control. Facing an invisible threat on a
global scale causes anxiety. And so, we hold our breath.
As
long as we are well, though, there is one thing that we do have control
over: our breath. Well, the ancient Hebrews would argue that we don’t even
have control over that, because our breath is breathed into us by God.
Their word for breath, ruah, also means “spirit” as well as, “air
in motion: sometimes the wind; at other times breath or vitality and
life-giving power” Jesuit Anthony de Mello, in his book, Sadhana: A Way
to God, speaks further of the ruah: “If a man lived, it was
because God kept putting his breath, his ‘spirit’ into this man. It was the
presence of this Spirit of God that kept the man alive.” The ruah,
then, was God’s continuous breath within the individual, God’s continuous
gift of life.
So,
while we may not control the breath that God breathes into us, we at least
can control our awareness of our breath, and this will affect our
spirit as well. There is an exercise that I have found particularly helpful
in these stressful times when I observe myself holding my breath.
While
in an upright posture, relax your body, slowly, from head to toe. Now, very
slowly, breathe in deeply through your nose, and then breathe slowly out
through your mouth.
Now
begin this contemplation:
While
you breathe in, be conscious of God’s Spirit coming into you…Fill your
lungs with the divine energy he brings with him…
While
you breathe out, imagine you are breathing out all your impurities…your
fears…your negative feelings…
Imagine
you see your whole body becoming radiant and alive through this process of
breathing in God’s life-giving Spirit and breathing out all your
impurities…
Breathe
in compassion for yourself—and others.
Breathe out any anxieties you have about your health and your loved ones’
health.
Breathe in God’s peace.
Breathe out any concerns you have right now over your finances.
Breathe in God’s assurance that these times will pass.
Breathe out whatever is causing you fear or anxiety right now.
Breathe in God’s promise of new life; breathe in hope.
Lord,
I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we are aware that it is the breath
of God that gives us life and strength during these difficult time. Help us
all to breath a little bit easier today.
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