“Man will not consent to drive away the money-changers from the temple of his soul until he realizes that it is a Holy of Holies—not a house of traffic” (How to Pray).
I do not like traffic. I sort of dread it from the days when I used to travel to and from work each day in the city. During the time that I worked in the city there was significant roadwork being done and this meant that a trip that should have taken an hour in traffic each day, easily took two.
And this was in the days before WiFi and smart phones and portable entertainment. Now, though I read quite a lot, I get quite motion sick when I am travelling on public transport and try to read at the same time, so I spent many long and monotonous hours on public transport trying to distract myself with meaningless nothing so as to pass the time.
And the other day I read a passage from the book called, “How to Pray” and it made me think – not about the traffic that I fear on the road – but the traffic that I should fear inside my heart…
“Man will not consent to drive away the money-changers from the temple of his soul until he realizes that it is a Holy of Holies—not a house of traffic, but in very truth the house of God. We thus reach two striking conclusions: There cannot be entire dependence upon the Holy Spirit's guidance, which is the true meaning of living in Christ, without complete self-renunciation. There cannot be complete self-renunciation without the constant underlying spirit of faith, without the habit of interior silence, a silence where God is dwelling. Many do not see the connection between thoughts about the King and the service of the King; between the interior silence ... and the continual detachment ... If we look closer, it will be seen that there is a strong, close, unbreakable link between the two. Find a recollected person, and he will be detached; seek one who is detached, and he will be recollected. To have found one is to have discovered the other ... Anyone who tries, on a given day, to practice either recollection or detachment cannot ignore the fact that he is doing a double stroke of work.” (Raoul Plus, S.J., p. 39-40).
And when I consider those words today, it seems to me that my dread of traffic – the dread that causes me to leave home much earlier than peak hour so as to be able to avoid the traffic – is completely misplaced. The real dread that I should have of anything is the dread of the damage I could cause by the traffic in my soul – the constant fickly distraction – the parade of noise inside myself that prevents me from focusing on the One True Thing that I really should be focused on.
And today – as I listen to the bustle within – I think of my Beloved, who waits at the centre of everything… Quietly, Calmly, Patiently… Waits for me to stop in the midst of the traffic and see Him there…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
Comments