Quiet my mind, Lord

In his book, Bread for the Journey, the Catholic priest and theologian Henri J.M. Nouwen writes:

    “To listen is very hard, because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements, or declarations. True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, to welcome, to accept… The beauty of listening is that, those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking their words more seriously and discovering their own true selves. Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you.”

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there is nothing more powerful

than the mind

which can be the most powerful weapon

we wield against ourselves or others

if our thought patterns are set

we can fail to see ourselves or others clearly

or correctly

the thought “I am not enough” has destroyed countless lives

fearful thoughts have caused people to create enemies that do not exist

and then there is that busy mind

so full of junk

spinning, spinning, spinning

occupying us

unsettling us

robbing us of sleep

robbing us of peace

and robbing us

of our ability

to be with others

to really be with them

(trust me, I know about this problem)

we are in the same room with someone

but in reality, we are far away

at work, dealing with a problem, thinking about a million other things

and so

in so many ways

our minds keep us from presence

and keep us from listening

keep us from connecting

and keep us from healing

ourselves

and being a source of healing

for others

O Sacred One

If you do one thing for me this day

quiet my mind

quiet my soul

help me be at ease

so that I may see

and hear

the person in front of me