Absurd Living (Advent Two)

Let me begin with an apology.   I am doing some ‘remodeling’ work on my site which entails adding new poems, editing old poems into their final form, deleting a bunch of things, and recategorizing some other things.  Unfortunately, this means that you may be getting a bunch of notices of new posts, etc.  I really hope this doesn’t become too annoying.

I decided to tackle this construction project now for a couple of reasons.  First, my blog is almost a year old and it needs a little better organization.  Second, the Advent season signals a new year and I always embark on some self-improvement project (usually short-lived) at the beginning of the year.

What’s happening on my site mirrors what’s happening in my spiritual life.  I am under construction, a work in progress.  This is as it should be.  Faith isn’t an event, it is a journey.  We are always traveling on the path to deeper faith.  Sometimes the path isn’t well marked; sometimes it is downright confusing.  And all around is the noise of a culture that calls us to follow a very different path.

As Henri Nouwen wrote, “living a spiritual life is far from easy.”  It’s so much easier to listen to the voices of consumerism and conformity than the voice of God.  They can be so loud that it’s often difficult to even hear the voice of God.  Nouwen confronts this problem in the book Spiritual Direction –

“Being formed in God’s likeness involves the struggle to move from absurd living to obedient listening.  The word absurd includes the word sardus, which means ‘deaf.’  Absurd living is a way of life in which we remain deaf to the voice that speaks to us in our silence…It seems that the noisy, busy world conspires against our hearing that voice and tries to make us absolutely deaf.”

That’s where spiritual disciplines come into play.   They are not an end in themselves. Think of Bible study, prayer, journaling, meditation, and being involved in a faith community as tools to help us listen better.  Scripture teaches us that it is in the “sheer silence” that God speaks to us.  Think of the Christmas story:  what would have happened if Mary and Joseph hadn’t been such good listeners?

As I move forward with my studies in spiritual direction, I find myself being drawn more deeply into the mystery of God.  Less talk (on my part), and more quiet contemplation (again, on my part) have given me the opportunity to focus on what is truly important:  the all-encompassing love of God.  I’m not as interested in theological debate as I once was.  I’m not interested in sifting through the Bible to find passages that back-up my opinions.  Sitting in silence has taught me that God is beyond my puny understanding. 

Listening for God’s voice has been a wonderfully humbling experience.  And I’m sure it will continue to be as I travel along this path.  It’s not always easy.  I don’t hear well to begin with.  My daughter Megan keeps threatening to give me an ear trumpet for Christmas.  Regardless, I press on.  I hope you have the opportunity during this busy, noisy time to rest in God’s silence and leave the absurdity of our world behind.

Grace and peace.

Remember Santa’s watching. Don’t end up on the naughty list – wear your mask!