I arrived at church at 8:55, knelt in prayer for thanksgiving, then sat back in my pew for some quiet time, waiting for Mass to begin. At this particular church there is a bell tower that plays the same tune as my grandmother’s clock did, reminding me of childhood days. The priest normally waits for the chimes to ring “9:00” before he proceeds down the aisle toward the altar. This morning he started a bit early, and in the middle of the opening prayer, the bell tower chimes could be heard. I thought of how time and prayer intersect with one another. The priest finished the morning opening prayer before the chimes reached the number nine. How does prayer interact with time?
There may be a similar relationship between our planned activities and what actually happens during the day. For example, as I’m writing, I got a phone call that required my attention. During the phone call I heard another phone call trying to beep in. After finishing with the first phone call, I called the other person back, and she had several requests of my time. After I hung up, I attended to those requests, hoping to return to writing. But my husband came home and had another chore that required my attention. As I sit back down to write, my coffee has grown cold, as has my prayerful reflection.
How is your time going today? I hope we can pray through our activities, realizing that Christ upholds us whether we are able to stick to our schedules or not.
From now on, when I sit to pray and hear a clock chime or my cell phone ring, I will ask myself: “Am I being flexible with my time to allow Christ to enter in?” Perhaps surrendering to the needs of others is the better prayer in the moment.
Pondering Christ 