It seems coronavirus is on everyone’s minds. It is difficult to escape the news and daily conversations around it. As we adjust to a new reality of quarantines and social distancing, many of us are experiencing heightened anxiety. With a young child at home and family members who are vulnerable, I can absolutely relate. Fortunately, there are some meditation and mindfulness techniques to help us cope.
The practice of meditation has a long and beautiful history in the Catholic church. Pope Francis shares these words: “The Lord speaks to us in the depths of our conscience, he speaks to us through Sacred Scripture, he speaks to us in prayer. Learn to stay before him in silence, to read and meditate on the Bible, especially the Gospels, to converse with him every day in order to feel his presence of friendship and love.” Meditation is a tool that decreases anxiety, lowers blood pressure, and reduces stress, and physically changes the brain, as demonstrated by scientific studies.
Fr. John Bartunek shares 4 C’s of traditional Catholic meditation. They are:
Concentrate. Take the time to go to a quiet spot, turn off your cell phone, and spend time concentrating on God’s presence.Consider. He suggests reading a section of scripture, slowly, taking time to truly digest it.Converse. Perhaps you want to thank God. To praise him. To ask forgiveness. Whatever you are moved to do.Commit. “Renew [your] commitment to loving God, and to fulfilling his will for [you] this day.”
Saint Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuit order, created what is known as Ignatian Contemplation. In this style of meditation, you can read a section of scripture (a story from the Gospels is recommended), and spend time imagining yourself there. Now you actually compose the place. What do you see, taste, smell, touch and hear? Perhaps you hear the Sea of Galilee, tasting the salt in the air. What are you wearing? What are the crowds like? What does Jesus’s voice sound like to you?
A Sacramental Pause is based on Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade’s Sacrament of the Present Moment, and takes only minutes. You can take a moment, even sitting in a chair or pew, and pray: “ever present God, here with me now, help me to be with you.” Open your heart to experiencing whatever you are aware of in the present moment, again, using the 5 senses. Then, focus. Focus on your breath, focus on the spot you are sitting in. Breathe deeply. Once more: “ever present God, here with me now, help me to be with you.”
While meditation is a wonderful activity, mindfulness is a way of thinking. Dr. Gregory Bottaro, a former Franciscan friar and author of The Mindful Catholic, explains: “A definition of mindfulness that we can work with is ‘paying attention to the present moment without judgement or criticism.’” It can be as mundane as 100% attention to simple chores, or as enriching as complete focus on time spent with family or playing with your child. But, it is not a matter of emptying your mind of thoughts. Dr. Bottaro continues:
“We are created in the image of God, who is the infinite epitome of mindfulness. If mindfulness is awareness of the present moment, God is the present moment. He defined himself as ‘I am who I am.’ God sees all as present moment, and it is our goal to see as he sees. We will never see all as he does, but we can see what we see with the light of the present moment.
“…You will come to learn that mindfulness does not mean turning off the thoughts in your mind, but using them as a door to greater awareness of yourself. This is actually one of the essential differences between Catholic mindfulness and Eastern-based forms of meditation. Many meditative practices seek to empty the mind of thought…emptying our minds of anything is not our goal. The very name of this practice is mindfulness. We want to fill our minds with reality.”
I can highly recommend using any of these techniques as methods to assuage anxiety and begin to recover from depression, as we continue to pray for health and healing in the world. These tools can create a richer and deeper spiritual practice, even during normal, everyday life. Meditation and mindfulness have cumulative effects, meaning, you may notice you feel better after one exercise—but to really notice effects, you need regular practice. Just remember the words of scripture, Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God!”
Domingo the Flamingo 