We Strain to Catch a Glimpse of the Sacred

We Strain to Catch a Glimpse of the Sacred

It is easy for us to believe what we hold sacred is out of reach. We must strain to catch a glimpse of the sacred, the smallest echo. It is far above us. We struggle to capture a taste of it, to find its aroma.

Is the Sacred Even There?

There are days when we wonder whether there is anything sacred anywhere at all. The experience of sacredness can feel so distant from our everyday lives.

We are constantly on the move, filling our time with tasks and goals, toys and distractions. Our days are whirlwinds of relationships and being responsible, expectations and entertainment.

We spend our time analyzing and evaluating, assessing and weighing evidence. Our approach to life is primarily rational, and we think about things. Once we have analyzed something we decide we understand it and believe we can control it.

Who has time to spend on the sacred? In a world of constant motion, who can tell whether anything sacred even exists?

Beyond Us

One of the essential qualities of being sacred is being beyond us. If something is not beyond us, at least at first glance, it is probably not sacred. I hear people say they want to be part of something bigger than they are. Being bigger than we are is a central part of being sacred.

Part of the attraction of the sacred, and part of our frustration, is we will never completely understand. Sacred truths contain layer after layer of meaning. It is not as if we can study really hard and master sacred truth. We can spend a lot of time gaining insight and there will still be more layers to explore. It is an excellent example of the idea that the more we know, the more we realize we do not know.

We can learn things about being sacred, but we probably will not understand it completely. Glimpsing the sacred may take more than our usual analytical skills. Relating to the Sacred is more like poetry than like prose.

Relating to the Sacred

Glimpsing the sacred is not a course of study or a project of trial and error, but a relationship. Our relationship to the sacred develops over time.

It is like any other relationship. We run into each other and begin to get acquainted. Some people are introduced to the sacred as children and become lifelong friends. There are people who meet but drift apart, possibly reconnecting later in life. Some learn about the sacred before they actually meet, while for others it feels more like a chance encounter.

Like in all relationships, there are comfortable aspects and more challenging aspects. As with the best relationships, it is based in love and grows stronger over time.

Catching a Glimpse of the Sacred

All relationships take time and attention. The more we ignore any relationship, the more likely we are to lose touch. No relationship can develop or maintain a measure of intimacy if we are constantly distracted.

Fortunately, our perception of the sacred as distant and far above us is a false one. Our sense of distance is based in our expectations, which are unrealistic.

The sacred is not high above the sky, removed from everyday life. It is here, with us.

We do not experience the immediacy of the sacred because we immerse ourselves in distraction.

Clearing Away Distraction

Many people who have difficulty catching a glimpse of the sacred are living lives of distraction. There are so many interests, people, questions, and topics calling for our attention. We rarely give ourselves a moment to reflect, to look at the bigger perspective.

There are concerns about money and work, about family, friends, and relationships. We get concerned about social issues, social pressures, and social media. It is a challenge to remember everything, much less give it the attention it deserves.

We surround ourselves, inside and outside, with a constantly growing number of options. There are distractions which keep us from choosing which distractions will distract us.

It is not surprising our ability to recognize the sacred is overwhelmed.

Despite the distractions we create, the sacred has not forgotten us, has not disappeared. The sacred is here, with us, even when we cannot appreciate it.

It can be challenging, though not complicated, for us to catch a glimpse of the sacred. Like any other relationship, it is a matter of pausing, finding some stillness, and paying attention.

Pausing

Our first step is pausing. It may not be as simple as pressing the pause button on a video or a piece of music, but it works the same way.

We need to pause the distractions so we can catch a glimpse of the sacred. It is almost impossible to pay attention to the sacred and anything else at the same time. We might need to actually turn some distractions off to pause them. There may even be some distractions we have forgotten. We may only remember they are playing, in the background, as we begin to pause others.

Finding Stillness

As we pause our distractions, we arrive at a place of stillness. We will become more still as we pause more distractions and we need to pause as many as we can. The more stillness we find, the more sensitive to distractions we may become. As we experience stillness our ability to listen will expand.

We may find we do not need as many distractions as we thought we did. Rather than being intimidated by stillness, we may begin to find it comforting.

We will not need to spend a long time in stillness each day before we begin to relax into its comfort.

Paying Attention

We pause our distractions and spend time in stillness. When we are not overwhelmed by distractions, even for five minutes, we sense the sacred in the stillness. We turn our attention to the sacred truth within us and all around us, and we begin to see.

Where will we catch a glimpse of the sacred this week?

How do we strain to find a glimpse of the sacred each day?

[Image by Brett Jordan]

Greg Richardson is a spiritual director in Southern California. He is a recovering assistant district attorney and associate university professor and is a lay Oblate with New Camaldoli Hermitage near Big Sur, California. Greg’s website is http://StrategicMonk.com and his email address is StrategicMonk@gmail.com.