Let me share a practice that I have found helpful in Sabbath practice in the midst of a demanding ministry. It is the silent meal. I first discovered this while I was at a monastery. I was with a group of Protestants who were visiting the monastery as part of a course on Spirituality. We had been to common prayers with the brothers, met together as a group to talk about our spiritual journey, and been addressed by one of the brothers about the monastery. Then we went to lunch. We were told ahead of time that the lunch was a time of silence. As I sat with friends having my meal, I realized what a freedom it was to not be expected to speak and interract with others. It gave me an opportunity to draw within myself.
When I returned home, I started thinking about that meal and how I could continue the practice. This may not work for many others, but I discovered that I could experience a valuable time of silence at a fast food restaurant. I would order an inexpensive meal, choose a table, and enter into a time of silence in the midst of the cacophny of the world around me. As I sat down at the table, before I unwrapped my meal, I would begin my prayer time. I would often begin with prayers for all those who had some part in preparing the meal before me, taking that as far back in the food process as possible. There was someone who had raised the animal or planted and cared for the vegetables that I was about to eat. Someone had harvested them, transported them, processed them, cooked them, etc. At times, I also prayed for those who had prepared the paper, designed the package, and manufactured the cup in which my meal was contained. What I found is that this took me outside the immediacy of my work world and put me in prayer for many parts of the world that I rarely thought about.
After about ten minutes of prayer, I would slowly unwrap my simple meal and occasionally take a bite or sip of my drink as I continued my prayers. As much as possible, I would pray with my eyes closed and my mind totally focused. At times I would pray for people or situations in my ministry, and at other times I would pray for colleagues that I knew were having a difficult time.
Because I am a product of this time-stressed world, I chose to commit myself to at least one-half hour of prayer from the time that I sat down at the table. I usually found that it was a wonderful time to recenter me in the midst of a task filled day.
