There are a lot of good points in this chapter! I want to take a moment to reflect on just three of them:
- LISTEN - I am currently going through a program and studying to be a Spiritual Director. The whole first YEAR of my program is focused on LISTENING! In one of my books they compared a conversation to 2 monologues - people aren't really listening to one another, instead conversations are made up of one person talking and the other thinking about what they want to say. How do we listen to one another? How do we stay focused on what the other person is telling us? If we don't know how to listen to one another, how will we ever learn to listen to God?
- Active versus Passive - LOVE that he pointed out the difference of passively coming to Mass and waiting for someone else, or something outside of me to happen to engage me rather than walking in with an action plan of finding the one thing that touches my heart, mind or soul. We need to be active and engaged in the Mass to find that one thing. I can't tell you how many times I have left Mass with a word or phrase that has touched my heart and led to me to learning more or digging deeper into life. Actively searching for what you are learning is a great way to enter into Mass!
- WRITE THINGS DOWN! I am with him on this point! I used to make clients write out their own goals - when you write it you commit it to memeory and commit it to your heart! Take a piece of paper and a pencil in to Mass this Sunday, pull it out during the homily and jot yourself some notes to help you remember as you leave what you have gained so that you can share it with others!
"God, show me one way in this Mass I can become a-better-version-of-myself (grow in holiness) this week." (page 105)
To help you to actively engage in the Mass this weekend and to write down what you learn I have placed a basket of pens and a basket of "journal pages" on the table in the middle of the gathering space. Stop and pick up a pen and page - write down what you learn and take it with you!