Photo by Bodo Esquivel rscj
Photo by Cibele Barbosa rscj
Photo by Cibele Barbosa rscj
One of the Sisters in my community studies in Guanajuato, an hour away from where we live. As we do not have many opportunities to meet, I like taking her there by car whenever I can. We leave very early in the morning and arrive in time for breakfast of sweet bread before her classes begin.
Guanajuato is a beautiful city that holds good memories for me. So last time I went I thought it would be a good idea to choose a beautiful place where I could pray before returning home. But, of course, 8 o’clock in the morning is peak time, and driving to the center of Guanajuato is madness.
Hmmm...What about going to La Presa? Inconceivable as there is never a parking space there. What about finding a café? None was suitable. What about going back home? But would be past 9 o’clock by then, and things would already be in the move: telephone calls, people moving about, the demands of work… That would not leave much space for prayer.
Suddenly, I realized that what I was doing was following an absurd logic. If I were with my best friend and we would like to talk, we would certainly look for a comfortable place where we could sit…but the conversation would begin right then and there — in the car, in the middle of traffic.
When is the best moment to talk with somebody? Right then and there when the person is with you. You need neither coffee nor tea to begin a conversation. Nor do you need to wait till you get to a special place. Surely, these provide a conducive ambience; but why postpone the opportunity to listen, to be quiet, to share? The one thing necessary is presence. When one is fully present, any space, any moment, can become memorable.
I turned back and took the road. The morning sun glistened against the hills. I allowed the colors to penetrate my being through my eyes, and to fill me within.
Ahhh…the Presence.
And without words, I said: “What do you think, Lord? Shall we go home?”