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Holy Cross Abbey

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Saturday of the 34th Week

November 27, 2021 by Fr Joseph

Whatever pleasures are associated with drunkenness and carousing, these ignoble pursuits are not infrequently indulged in the effort to escape the present moment. The vigilance enjoined upon us by Christ can thus be thought of as being attentive to the present moment—even when it bears with it thoughts, feelings, and demands that are aversive and painful to endure. One of the primary difficulties in attaining that all too elusive state of constant prayer, is not so much the various distractions we are involuntarily subject to, but rather those that we unconsciously seek out in an effort to avoid the pain and discomfort that can accompany unflinching self-awareness precisely in the present moment. Mary, who consistently pondered many things in her heart stands before us as an example of one who was vigilant at all times and finely tuned into even the slightest inspiration of the Spirit in the present moment. Only by following her example will our hearts be healed and transformed so as to remain always vigilant and in the present moment—that only moment in which God is truly encountered.

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