Scripture:
2 Kings 24:8-17
Matthew 7:21-29
Reflection:
While on the treadmill, I like to listen to music. I noticed some time ago that quite unconsciously I would set my pace of walking or jogging to become synchronous with the music to which I was listening. Over time I began to pay more attention to how my body works to adjust to the rhythmic beat of the music. When there was a change of song that carried a little different beat, I sensed a corresponding change in my pace to match the new song.
While on the treadmill the other day, I could not find my rhythmic pace at all. It was really quite frustrating. I was listening to a music collection that probably was very nice but just did not provide a steady and soothing rhythm that I could match. It reminded me of my first attempts to ballroom dance. My teacher described my dancing as a wrestling match. I could not feel the subtle and graceful movement of my dance teacher. I was thinking too much and not allowing the music to guide me. I so wanted to be in control – to disastrous, if not humorous results.
Being in sync is an amazing experience. We know that feeling. We’ve all had those special moments when we find our rhythm within ourselves and with others. We feel free and at peace. A newborn child finds peace and calm laying its head upon its mother’s chest hearing her familiar and soothing heartbeat. We will sit transfixed along the shore mesmerized by the rhythmic sound of the waves. The rhythmic pace of the treadmill or the dance floor, the gentle waves along the shoreline are but hints at the harmony we desire in our relationships, our families and our world.
Tomorrow is one of my most favorite feast days, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The merciful heart. The loving heart. The heart that can be broken. And like my attempts to set my jogging pace to the music playing in my ears, I search for ways to better synchronize the pace of my life to the rhythmic beat of Jesus’ heart. I want to love as he did. I want to find the harmony in my life that comes from finding my heart becoming more and more attuned to the heart of Jesus.
Robert Hotz is a consultant with American City Bureau, Inc. and is the Director of The Passion of Christ: The Love That Compels Campaign for Holy Cross Province.