More Musing, Less Amusing

While on retreat a few weekends ago, I came across the following passage the forward to Minute Meditations by J.E. Moffatt, S.J. It further buttresses my belief and my argument that people need to stop all the busyness in their lives and take the time to slow down, look at the stars, and reflect. While this was published in 1958, it seems to be written for us today.

Great men are always thoughtful men. Men who accomplish outstanding things for the cause of humanity are always men of reflection. All deeds of noble worth are first conceived in the silence of a thoughtful mind.

So, too, is it in the spiritual life. Only reflective souls achieve great holiness. The saints are always men and women of prayerfully thoughtful lives.

Someone has very truthfully said that today we need "more musing and less amusing" in our lives. Our age is one of ceaseless rushing from amusement to amusement. Men will not allow themselves time for reflection; they seem afraid to be alone with themselves and their own thoughts. It is a disastrous condition especially from the spiritual standpoint and, if we have the welfare of our own soul at heart, it should be the object of our serious effort to correct this destructive attitude of mind toward so important a matter. In other words, if it is not already a part of our daily schedule, we should adopt the practice of meditation.

Meditation, as we are speaking of it, is simply prayerful thought. We may not because of our other duties, be able to spend long periods of silent meditation, but there are so many spare moments, "between times", often idle, that could be filled with prayerful reflection with great glory to God and simply incalculable good to our soul.

There is a bookmark in my Breviary on which a pious hand has inscribed the meaningful words: "There is not a moment of our lives in which we may not merit an eternity of recompense." Yes, those precious moments, so full of well-nigh infinite possibilities, if only we could put them to profitable use!