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July 26, 2009 - All Sparkle and No Stillness

by Father Edward L. Beck, C.P.

Hi, I’m Father Edward Beck in New York. The great philosopher Pascal once wrote: I have concluded that the whole misfortune of people comes from a single thing, and that is their inability to remain at rest in a room. It’s a fancy way of saying that we don’t know how to slow down. While summer used to be a time for just that, it seems as though we’ve l ost that ability for leisure. Advancing technology seems to dictate that we’re available 24/7, just a vibration or ping away. So we avoid the solitary experience because maybe we don’t know what to do with it, or we fear the ennui that may result. A friend of mine told me that he’ll have plenty of time for leisure in his retirement. For now, he has to succeed and make money. He died last year of a heart attack at age 45. Maybe we need to reclaim the whole notion of Sabbath rest. Time to stop, to notice, and to be thankful for the gifts from our Creator. A daily walk in nature. A monthly retreat day. Riding in the car with no radio. Sitting and pondering a dazzling sunset. Taking time to notice life happening around us. In her novel The Color Purple Alice Walker says that if you walk past the color purple in a field and don’t notice it that it gets God mad. Well, if she’s right, I’d say God may be pretty upset. Nowadays a lot of waiters begin their spiels by asking, "Can I bring you still, sparkling, or tap water?" The still or sparkling is an interesting choice of opposites that maybe points to our struggle. Sparkling seems sexier. It bubbles and effervesces. Still is, well, still. It just lays there. And yet all bubble and no stillness can wear us out. When we’re too much about the sparkle, we risk being all surface and no depth. May be the best way to sparkle this summer is to take some time to be still.