Awake at Home
[Jesus said to them,] “Stay awake! If the house owner knew when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and stood guard. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man comes at an unexpected hour.” – Matthew 24:42-44 (adapted)
In Plum Village, the monastery founded by Thich Nhat Hanh, I was taught to wash the dishes or clean the kitchen counter as if caring for a baby.
At first, it felt contrived. Eventually, something shifted. Giving loving attention to a tiny, fragile human can turn most anyone into an awakened being, if only for a moment, which is all we have.
Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century Carmelite monk, spoke of something similar. “The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer. In the noise and clutter of my kitchen…I possess God in tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the Blessed Sacrament.” He also said, “I have abandoned all particular forms of devotion, all prayer techniques. My only prayer practice is attention.”
Jesus urged his disciples to remain awake and alert to the arrival of the Holy, because the Eternal is not only present, the Eternal is presence itself. In my experience, the presence of the Eternal becomes available through the practice of loving attention.
If God ever feels out of reach, try going about your day as if carrying a sleeping infant. Few people act heedlessly or recklessly while holding a baby at rest. We naturally move more tranquilly and speak more gently. Our attention becomes more acute; our being is more reverent. In one unexpected moment, holiness arrives.
Stay alert. Love what you do. The Presence is literally at hand.
Prayer
Holy One, today may I strive for attention over perfection.
About the AuthorMatt Laney is co-Pastor of Virginia Highland Church UCC in Atlanta, GA and the author of Pride Wars, a fantasy series published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for Young Readers. The first two books, The Spinner Prince and The Four Guardians are available now.