The wise know -- reflection is for the birds

By Mary Regina Morrell
©Catholic Online 2004

"He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before you; eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat. Son of man, he then said to me, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you. I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth." Ezekiel 3:1-3

One thing, among others, that is difficult for me to understand is why people who are on vacation insist on bringing all the things of home and work with them.

Take cell phones for example. They have their usefulness, of course, but I wonder why so many find it necessary to take them even to the beach, where a cursory look around will inevitably bring into view a dozen or more people engaged in cell-phone conversations.

The phenomenon baffles me and I expect psychologists will soon find a name for our culture's growing fear of being disconnected. With such a dependence on audio and visual stimulation we are losing one of the greatest opportunities for growth - the reflective moment.

It was in a moment such as this that I learned something from the many birds that come to be fed on a small patch of ground we call a patio.

In the early morning hours, sitting quietly with a cup of tea, I watched them gather to eat the seed I had left for them the night before. They were intent on finding and eating every little seed whether wedged between smooth stones or nestled among fallen pine needles.

The only thing that ever deters them is the arrival of a squirrel or an unexpected visitor to their sanctuary. Birds do not snack, a little here and a little here, and then fly off to engage in other more enjoyable pastimes. For they, it seems, are wiser than we and put all their energy into that which keeps them alive.

That, I thought, is how intent we should be on searching out and eating the words of God.

The whole idea of eating the words of Scripture was foreign to me until one night when I had a dream. Someone placed a tiny Bible in my hand and instructed me to eat it. I awoke thinking about how strange the whole thing was, but the next day when I opened the Bible to find a passage for another reflective moment I turned to Jeremiah, "Your words were found, and I did eat them; and your word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by your name, O Lord God of hosts."

Later I came across a book entitled, Soul of My Soul: Reflection from a Life of Prayer, by Catherine de Hueck Doherty. Inside was a chapter, "Prayer as eating the Word of God."

I smiled, thinking that when God wants you to think about something you have very little choice.

Catherine writes passionately about the Mass, about Eucharist, the chalice, the Word of God in the readings of Scripture and Jesus, the Word of God made flesh: "I become one with the word I eat so much so that I cease to exist. The word absorbs me in this way because I am willing, because I say to God, 'Let me dissolve before my death. Let me be filled with you, so that every step I take is your step, and every gesture I make is your gesture.' This is beyond abandonment . . . beyond anything I can describe. It is like the void in which one meets God. I have surrendered to the word, I have eaten it. I am filled. Now the word preaches through me."

My father always told me you are what you eat.

Now, so much further along in my faith journey, his words hold more importance, and I am grateful for all the reflective moments that allow God to break through with the meaning.

And the birds are good, too

__________________________

is a free-lance writer, columnist, mother of six sons and author of Angels in High Top Sneakers from Loyola Press.

Contact

Diocese of Metuchen
http://diometuchen.org NJ, US
Mary Regina Morrell - Associate Director, Office of Religious Education, 732 562-1990

Email

mmorrell@diometuchen.org

Keywords

wisdom, reflection, birds, words

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