Stop. Look. Stop.
Little steps inform us of our progress through the day. When we have the time to stay at one place, it gives us a chance to gain perspective. Even if it is a mid-life crisis. Yeah, crisis doesn’t mean everyone run around making lots of noise, taking loads of actions.
Sometimes it’s just little things that creep up on you. Like a chronic disease like diabetes. Or being caught out for all the little things we’re comfortable with by a liturgical discussion week organised by the diocese.
Let’s take the far out example of liturgy in a Catholic church. I’m saying far out because I’ve yet to properly learn about Liturgy (with capital letters) and thus is not a definitive explanation about Liturgy. But in terms of liturgy, there is something that could be used to make an observation.
There is a point about sanctity and being the personification of Jesus Christ during the celebration. Hence, one really shouldn’t be taking photos or answering the phone, but instead be wholly focused and praying on the celebration. But there is more, I think.
Personifying Christ in a way is not too unlike playing Christ, especially in relation to those participating in and following the celebration. What moves internally in tends of prayer and intention should communicate clearly to those looking in the general direction of the presider of the celebration.
Put it this way, if the presider was like a medium who channeled a good or spirit, you’d know the difference between being in a séance, and without. The same applies to the presider of the celebration, methinks, and a lot of the Liturgy seems to be directing our attention not on the frills and rah rah bits (if any) but what’s going on at the elevated altar, especially Christ personified.
That’s a very strange concept for a lot of us, unless you’re a stage actor with less than solid theological foundations (I’m even less than both of that). We’re not used to playing someone else, what more an alien being called Good who also happens to be the Holy Spirit, and also Jesus Christ. It’s not far unlike sticking your foot in your mouth and saying Peter Piper pickled peppy peppers with pink peppercorns.
We know the words of what we want to do but do we really know what we’re doing? I guess this is why I thought of acting because there is imagination involved, which is way better than being possessed, methinks.
This strange way of being at least has instructions and guidelines, but at the end of the day those words need to be enfleshed and communicated. Including the idea and force of the meaning sanctity. Not a common everyday idea or experience. Not when we can order and change things at will, and say it’s our right. Sanctity means recognising the right of the other to be beyond yours, and giving the other the space and time it demands. Otherwise, it’s nothing sacred for you at all, and instead, just another space, thing, or person even.
Now, stop. What if your own self was sacred? What does that mean? What would it mean to take your self seriously? Give yourself the time of the day to be with yourself, and not be feeling the need to be someone else? How much of a showstopper to your daily routine would that be?
Having a wake up call is not necessarily a bad thing. Having to face hurts is not a bad thing. Abiding through these difficult times could teach us a lot about ourselves, about our resilient and boundless selves. But the movement to abide is tied to the idea that there is an end to all this. I would like to use my imagination to “see” a different end, but sometimes, it’s difficult. Yet, that is the most powerful tool we can have to change our reality.
We can be hopeful — nothing too bad about a thought like that. Yet some of us might not want to end up deluding ourselves. Perhaps then we could fall back to the wisdom of the ages — in some form of the major religions, but not necessarily all of its substance (heeding to the fact that there is a needling thought that religion is man-made, a thought that is better left aside at this point).
Being hopeful, being positive, is not to ignore all that is wrong with the world. It certainly is a very good first step for ourselves, before we engage the world. If we can’t see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it’s going to be convincing to others and tell them to persevere.
Backing up along this meandering trail of thought — stopping is something we need to do from time to time. It might make us feel as if the end of the world is happening, especially if our sacred cows are cracked open like outed chutzpah scarecrows. Or it might be a time to face freedom and its responsibilities, a scary thought for some of us who are comfortable with our routine, our ideas, our expectations and ideas of what right and wrong are, a fixed space where we work and live in.
It’s not always our desires that get us to break the glass and step out. But to start something new, or to start anew, can be fraught with many hang-ups. Maybe we need to take a look, since we already stopped, and see what really is it that hauls us back from the brink of the new day. Often times, it’s a lack of a space and time to do so that doesn’t inspire us to reflect on what’s happening.
Yet, we can always create a space for ourselves — or for someone we know and love and care about. Take them out for a walk. Let them walk alone if necessary. Take yourself out for a walk. Take the dog — or even just a book. Or take nothing at all, and walk with nothing in mind. You never know what you might find — or be inspired to, when we stop, look, and stop once more.
