Session 1: Morning - Begin With God

Welcome, my friend. For the next seven days, I invite you to experience something very different from the pace of ordinary life. You do not need to travel to a monastery. You do not need special clothing. You do not need to leave your family, your work, or your responsibilities. For these seven days, we are simply going to borrow some of the wisdom that monks have practiced for centuries and bring it into your life, right where you are.

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Three times each day, morning, midday, and evening, I will invite you to step away for about thirty minutes. We will pray. We will listen. We will reflect. And perhaps most importantly, we will learn to be silent. You may discover that silence is more difficult than you expect. Most of us live surrounded by noise. Phones. Messages. Television. Music. News. Conversations. Work. Worries. And even when everything around us becomes quiet, there is often still noise inside us. Monastic life teaches us that we do not always need to fill that silence. Sometimes we simply need to enter it. So find a quiet place. Sit comfortably. Put your phone on silent if you can. There is nowhere else you need to be for these next thirty minutes. This is your time with God. And our first lesson is perhaps the most important lesson of the entire week: Begin with God.

Psalm 63

Our first Scripture comes from Psalm 63. Before we hear it, close your eyes if you are comfortable doing so. Take a slow breath. And another. Allow your body to become still. Now listen to these words: “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you.” The Psalmist describes his desire for God as thirst. Think about that. Thirst is not an intellectual idea. When you are truly thirsty, your entire body knows that something is missing. You want water. You search for it. You need it. The Psalmist says there is something inside the human heart that thirsts in the same way. We thirst for God. We may not always recognize that thirst. Sometimes we try to satisfy it with achievement, money, attention, entertainment, relationships, possessions, success, food, alcohol, social media, or simply staying busy. Some of these things can be good, but none of them can completely satisfy the deepest hunger of the human heart. Saint Augustine famously expressed this truth when he wrote that our hearts are restless until they rest in God. The monk eventually discovers something the world often forgets: you can possess many things and still be empty, and you can possess very little and have tremendous peace. The difference is often found in what your heart is seeking. So before we do anything else today, quietly ask yourself: What am I really seeking? Do not rush to answer. Just allow the question to remain with you.

Five Minutes of Silence

We are now going to practice our first period of silence. Five minutes. That may feel longer than you expect. You do not need to accomplish anything. You do not need to create a spiritual experience. You do not even need to find the right words. Simply sit in God's presence. If thoughts come, let them come. If worries appear, notice them and let them pass. If you become distracted, gently return your attention to God. You might quietly repeat, “My soul thirsts for You.” Or simply, “Here I am.” Now let us enter five minutes of silence. [SILENCE - 5 MINUTES]

Returning From Silence

Slowly become aware again of where you are. Notice your breathing. Notice the sounds around you. Do not immediately judge those five minutes. You may have felt peaceful. You may have felt restless. You may have spent most of the time thinking about what you need to do today. That is okay. One of the lessons of monastic life is that silence is something we learn. At first, silence can reveal just how noisy our minds have become. That realization itself is valuable. A monk does not sit in silence because every moment of silence feels wonderful. He returns to silence because he knows that beneath all the noise, God is present. And gradually, we learn to notice Him.

The First Lesson of Humility

Saint Benedict wrote his Rule approximately fifteen hundred years ago as a guide for monks living together in community. One of the most important sections is Chapter 7, which concerns humility. Humility is often misunderstood. We sometimes think humility means thinking badly about ourselves. It does not. True humility means seeing reality clearly. It means recognizing that I am not the center of the universe. I did not create myself. I cannot control everything. I need others. And ultimately, I need God. Saint Benedict begins his teaching on humility with a very simple idea: Keep God always before your eyes. Imagine how different your day might become if you actually practiced that. When you wake up, remember God. When you eat, remember God. When you work, remember God. When someone frustrates you, remember God. When you are tempted, remember God. When something wonderful happens, remember God. When you are afraid, remember God. When you are alone, remember God. The monk attempts to live his entire day with an awareness that God is present. Not watching like a police officer waiting for him to make a mistake, but present like a loving Father. This changes ordinary life. Washing dishes can become prayer. Driving can become prayer. Working can become prayer. Listening to another person can become prayer. Even waiting in line can become an opportunity to remember God. The monastery teaches us that holiness is often found in very ordinary moments. And you have hundreds of those moments waiting for you today.

Practicing the Presence of God

Let's practice this right now. Look around wherever you are. Perhaps you are sitting in your bedroom. Maybe you are outside. Perhaps you are in your car before work. Maybe you are sitting at a kitchen table with a cup of coffee. Notice something ordinary around you. A chair. A tree. Sunlight through a window. The sound of birds. The feeling of your breath. Now remind yourself: God is here. You do not have to feel anything. Faith does not require a particular emotion. Simply acknowledge His presence. Quietly say: “God, You are here.” [SILENCE - 30 SECONDS] Again: “God, You are here.” [SILENCE - 30 SECONDS] And finally: “Help me remember You today.” [SILENCE - 1 MINUTE]

Journaling

Now I invite you to take out a journal, notebook, or piece of paper. At the top of the page, write: DAY 1 - REMEMBER GOD. Underneath it, answer this question: What is one way I will remind myself of God's presence today? Keep it simple. Perhaps every time you look at your phone, you will first say, “God, You are here.” Perhaps every time you enter your car, you will take one breath and remember God. Perhaps before every meal, you will pause for ten seconds. Maybe you will place a small cross somewhere you will see it. Perhaps you will set three quiet reminders during the day: morning, noon, and evening. Or perhaps whenever you begin a new task, you will simply say, “I offer this to You.” Choose one practice. Not five. Monastic life teaches consistency. Small practices repeated faithfully can reshape a life. Take a few minutes now and write. [JOURNALING SILENCE - 3 MINUTES]

Your Practice for Today

As you move into your day, I want you to remember one thing. You are not trying to become a monk. You are learning from monks. You still have your responsibilities, your family, your work, your appointments, your bills, your problems, and your ordinary life. But today, we are going to try to live that ordinary life differently. Instead of moving through the day forgetting God and occasionally remembering Him, we are going to practice remembering Him throughout the day. You will forget. Then you will remember. You will become distracted. Then you will return. You may go several hours without thinking about God at all. The moment you realize it, simply return. No guilt. No frustration. Just begin again. This simple act of returning may be one of the most important things you learn this week. The spiritual life is filled with beginnings. And beginnings again.

Closing Prayer and Silence

Let us finish our first morning together in prayer. Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me this new day. Before I become lost in everything I need to accomplish, help me remember what matters most. You are here. When I am busy, remind me. When I am distracted, call me back. When I am worried, help me trust You. When I am grateful, help me thank You. When I encounter another person, help me remember that You are present there too. Give me the humility to recognize that I do not have to control everything. Teach me to walk through this day aware of Your presence. And when I forget You, as I surely will, give me the grace simply to begin again. Amen.


Now remain silent for one final minute. Do not ask God for anything. Do not explain anything. Simply be with Him. [SILENCE - 1 MINUTE] When you are ready, continue with your day. But carry this one thought with you: God is here. We will meet again at midday. Until then, practice remembering.