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Attention, taken to its highest degree, is the same thing as prayer. It presupposes faith and love . . . Absolute unmixed attention is prayer. … If we turn our mind toward the good, it is impossible that little by little the whole soul will not be attracted thereto in spite of itself.
Simone Weil
Look at the birds of the air . . . Observe the lilies of the field, how they grow . . .
Matthew 6:26, 28
Our attention is a holy gift. When we pay attention to someone or something we are acknowledging its goodness and its sacred reality. Further, we live in a so-called “attention economy,” in which digital advertisers compete for our attention and often get it. And finally, certain political powers feed on attention and create spectacles that may be distracting us from realities that deserve our attention.
The invitation is to build up our “attentive gifts” by helping us pay attention to what is good, true, beautiful, and real. What we are attempting to “give up” for Lent is any spectacle that is competing for our attention. This calendar is offered to you as a way to guide your paying-attention practice during Lent. Each day, we will have a reflection from one of our community members on a theme (see below), as well as a quote (thanks to Nancy Sehested for providing those).
Mondays: The Natural World
Tuesdays: Nonviolent Politics
Wednesdays: Truthful Speech
Thursdays: Art/Music/Poetry
Fridays: Lament
Saturdays: Silence
Click on the dates below to view that day's offering.
--Collaboratively created by the Circle of Mercy community, Asheville, NC
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