by Fr. Bill Edens, CSP, Busy Person’s Retreat Facilitator
On Thursday of last week, I installed the bike rack on my car and drove to Belding to ride the Flat River biking/walking trail. Driving out Route 44 from Grand Rapids to Belding, you are on a road that is straight and fast. People drive like it’s a freeway, but without the benefit of merging lanes for getting on or off. When I dropped out of the speeding traffic, took a hard right onto Wells Road, gravel flying, and descended to the Flat River, I discovered a waterway that was anything but straight and fast. It is a lazy meandering river with a calm surface over deep pools and slender grasses undulating in the current.
I was in a middle passage with the highway above me, cars and trucks zooming along the overpass. Below me was the river moving slowly. I was on the bridge over the river and under the traffic.
I imagined that my mind had these three levels too: above, on the surface was the active world of sensory perceptions and interactions. Below was my unconscious, a mysterious winding river. I was navigating the space between them. This may be what consciousness is: a mediator between life’s surface and the depths below.
I was in a contemplative state of mind. Barely conscious of the noises of the busy life above, the gentle sounds of water lapping against the shore were inviting me to go deeper into God’s creation. I thought, “I don’t do this often enough.” Perhaps you may feel like this, too, “I need to do this more often.”
I think we human beings are wired to go deeper. We crave going beneath the surface and into the depths. And yet, it can be scary there! The Psalmist says “Deep calls upon deep in the roar of the waterfalls. All your waves and breakers have swept over me (psalm 42:7).” There may be turbulence, but the author reminds us that we do not need to be afraid: “By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life (psalm 42:8).”
Perhaps we could go more often to find a river walk. It’s worth it to drop out of the traffic and find a portal to a deeper life.
To help us go deeper spiritually Dominican Center at Marywood in collaboration with the Catholic Information Center is offering “A Busy Person’s Retreat: Creating a Space to Meet God in Everyday Life.” Find out more and register, click on the picture below. Space is limited, so act quickly! Begins November 3, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
This unique retreat experience offers you communal space and personalized guidance to meet God within the fullness of your busy life. You can choose the in-person option or the virtual option.
