To be eirenic is to be aimed at peace, oriented toward reconciliation. As a centering prayer I have adopted the prayer attributed to St. Frances, Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. So, that is why I call my website Eirenicole – a composite of eirenic and Nicole.
For Lent, we are using the book, The Art of Lent: A Painting a Day From Ash Wednesday to Easter, by Sister Wendy Beckett. This week, the theme is peace. Our meditation for today is entitled, “Isolation,” and the focus of our attention will be on the painting, The Silence, 1965, by Carel Weight RA. The image is included in the post for this podcast, and accompanies the places where this is posted. If you do not have access to the photo, but do have access to internet, you can google “The Silence, 1965, by Carel Weight RA.”
So as you settle in your space, pay attention to your breathing.
Notice your posture – sitting (or stand) upright, alert, while at ease.
Notice your body settling into the chair, and slow your breath a little.
Close your eyes (if you’re not driving!) and bring to mind a word or phrase as your intension to be present to God.
This may be a characteristic of God, or something you especially need God to be for you in this moment, such as hope, or stillness, or healing.
Breathe in the ruah, the spirit that is the same spirit in us all.
Breathe out while calling to mind your word – a prayer.
Continue breathing in and out, centering with your sacred word.
Pay attention to God’s invitation to be present.
Settle into the peace of Christ as you listen. Hear the mediation and notice what the spirit of God draws your attention to in this painting. What is Jesus speaking to you here, now?
“The safety of peace has nothing to do at all with aloofness from other people….”
It is remarkable that this meditation comes today, a book written several years ago could not anticipate a COVID-19 pandemic during 2020s Lenten season. It impacts us all – irrespective of age and gender, ethnicity and station in life. We are all in this together. While it is more isolating than usual, especially if you are ill, we may also embrace it as a gift. Consent to the silence, engage rest, and hear the voice of Jesus, know God’s presence.
What is the fruit you are finding in your isolation? In what creative ways might you share that fruit with someone else today?
How is Jesus bringing you peace in this moment? May the peace of Christ be with you, and today, may you walk at the pace of grace.
