Last weekend I attended a silent retreat at White House Retreat House. As part of this retreat, we had group prayers throughout the day, but one prayer that stuck with me is the Angelus. This prayer is said three times daily, and in the morning is followed by two additional prayers. The Angelus by itself takes only a minute to recite, and the morning extensions add just a few additional minutes.
During one of the talks of the retreat, the presider spoke about our addiction to noise. We wake up in the morning and turn on the TV or radio. We walk with iPods bombarding us with music. The instant we get into the car, we turn on the radio. We even go to bed with white noise generators because we can't stand the silence. We are addicted to noise.
My 25 minute drive to work is filled with noise and information. I'm either listening to music or news, or thinking about what I am going work on once I get to work. By the time I get to work, my senses and brain are in overdrive and rather than being prepared to dive into work, I find myself so over stimulated that I can't focus on a single task.
So I have started to incorporate the Angelus and additional prayers into my morning drive to work. I still listen to the radio, but at a set point in my commute I turn off the radio and recite the Angelus by memory. The additional prayers are intentionally not committed to memory, as this allows me to remain in a prayerful silence state until I arrive at the parking lot. Once I arrive, I don't bolt out of my car, but rather sit there with my book and finish the final prayers. These minutes of intentional silence and holding back help to center me and prepare myself for the challenges of the day.
Have a spiritual reflection to share? Send it to Jamey to be posted on the blog: stegmaier@washucsc.org
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