Thursday Soapbox: Getting on a Soapbox!
News 19 MarchWe invited a broad range of speakers from our staff community to speak about a topic they were passionate about.
21 October 2021
Share
Meditation has taught me inner peace and deep gratitude
Learning to listen to silence has been a journey for me. It has been Christian meditation that has led me on this journey of discovering how to pray with my heart and not just my mind. It wasn’t an instant attraction to this way of prayer. I tried meditation multiple times and found sitting in silence difficult and confronting. Finding a community of other meditators finally helped me to practise and persist with silence and meditation. There was something about sharing silence with others that drew me in, a deep sense of community led me to a deeper awareness of prayer.
I believe we all have the capacity for silence and when we allow ourselves to experience this deep presence within us, our lives have the possibility to be transformed, so that even in the most chaotic moments of our everyday, we experience an interior peace. Meditation is a way of praying. It transforms us, encourages us and challenges us to be in the present moment.
Christian Meditation focuses on Jesus as the spirit of love that dwells within me, in each of us, waiting for us to activate that love and pour it out to others as it impacts us. Christian Meditation has taught me to take the focus off myself, to let go of my ego and find a deep inner peace that exists with the everyday moments of my life, even in the times when there is chaos and disruption in my life. Meditation has taught me how to bring Christ’s love into the ordinariness of our lives, to be a sign of grace and gratefulness. I have realised that to be grateful is to recognise God’s unconditional love, the gifts or grace he gives us in the good moments and in the challenging times of our lives.
The deep peace I feel, I accept as a gift and it expresses itself as a feeling of gratitude for all in my life.
I am drawn to the example and practice of the Desert Fathers, to bring contemplation into my ordinary life. The other-centredness appeals to me; I call my meditation time, my deep well of peace and joy. It is a time to tap into that place in my heart where God exists as peace and love. It fills me up and urges me to be present and care for all that exists around me. It draws me to the awe and wonder of creation, connects me to into the beauty of nature, the love of creatures, the value of the environment. I don’t see silent prayer as a substitute for other forms of prayer, but rather complimenting it.
There is a balance between busyness and quietness and I experience a wholeness about my life when I find time for both. The times I make for silent listening gives me energy, strength and courage to live in those other times when I am busy working, when I feel stretched and stressed with the pressures that surround me. I am grateful for the gift of meditation and the experience of joy, peace and love it brings to me and the courage to embrace all of life, in the good times and the challenging times.
BIO: Ann O’Connor is the Campus Pastoral Associate (Staff) for the Strathfield and Blacktown Campus. She has a heart for community and creating places where people feel welcome and valued.
We invited a broad range of speakers from our staff community to speak about a topic they were passionate about.
Irish coffee has so many things happening all at once... just like the Catholic faith. Jeremy Ambrose, Campus Pastoral Associate (Staff) on the Melbourne Campus, having an Irish Godmother and wife, hi...
Who is God? Personal, and Alive! Nathan Costin, Campus Ministry Manager, reflects on the Lenten journey and the deepening encounter with Jesus to draw us closer to the living God.
Synodality is our future and our reality". Maddy Forde talks at the NCEC conference introducing the concept of synodality from a young person's position
The miracle of the human body is epitomised through the healing vocation of Physiotherapy, and this skill is cultivated through the selfless gift of body donors.
Jean-Claude encourages us to 'keep our poker faces out of our relationships' and work on strengthening our integrity by becoming beacons of truth and goodness after reflecting on his recently viewed b...
By inviting others to share in your journey of real life experiences, disappointments, anxiety and fears makes us realise we are not alone. Gabby challenges us to surrender our burdens to feel humble...
“We are not made to be solitary, but we are made for community.” Paolo Grella reflects on his experience of community over the years and how it adds a vital element to life.
No matter how long the night, the sun will always rise! Colleen Tracey shares her recent experience with COVID-19 and reminds us to tap into the 'grace' in every challenge and obstacle, to remain pos...
Saints, the great heroes of the Catholic tradition, faced challenges and adversity during their lives. Inspired by their feats and acts of virtue, Jake Santitto reflects on the challenges that they fa...
Hannah Scullion, Campus Pastoral Associate, talks about how experiencing pregnancy gives her a new and more relatable perspective on how she views her relationship with Mary, our spiritual mother.
How can we, with our individual power, use our daily choices to convey hope, support brave changes, and walk alongside our First Nations sisters and brothers? Maddy Forde, Campus Pastoral Associate ur...
Society portrays a certain image of what masculinity is. Paolo Grella reflects on this and how his understanding has changed over the years, leaving behind words of encouragement for others.
Join Jake Santitto, Campus Pastoral Associate (Student), as he dives into Dante’s divine comedy and is drawn into the 3 realms of the Christian afterlife to see how literature can transform your life ...
How can you be a fool for God, not only for one day but for a lifetime ahead? Jeremy Ambrose, Campus Pastoral Associate.
To lift up and give hope to those despairing, Colleen Tracey, Campus Pastoral Associate asks us to live in the here and now to embrace the grace and let the light of God's love come out of the darknes...
Father Harry Chan, Banyo Campus Chaplain, reflects on why God may seem so silent when we are experiencing the tough times in our lives.
What makes thirty young adults gather at a university campus on a Friday evening? The promise of engaging conversation and encouraging formation, of course.
Processing the turmoils of life can seem almost impossible at times yet, Gabby Fernandes, Campus Pastoral Associate (Students), encourages us to take the time to stop and reflect to allow room for hop...
ACU is called to live out and express its identity and mission in a range of ways. At ACU, prayer is a way of acknowledging our commitment to seek the truth and is integral to the core mission values...