Hope is hearing the melody of the future and faith is dancing to that melody in the here and now. Rubem Alves, Brazilian Liberation Theologian

2021 June  Blog by Tony Clark

In the year before the pandemic, or as some call it— the before times, my partner and I moved to Lakewood and joined the Centering Space Tuesday night contemplative prayer group. We found an intentional space that set aside time and space for prayer, music and silence– exactly what our souls needed to deflate some of the pressure we were finding in our new jobs.

We had only attended for a few months when the world shifted, the pandemic closed all indoor gathering places, and suddenly everything we did was on Zoom. I spent many hours during my work day on video calls, and I found quickly that the patchy internet connections, the frozen screens, the multiple sounds coming in a cacophony through the video, the checkerboard-effect of multiple people fidgeting on my screen did not serve my soul well. The future had arrived, and video conferencing was not what the sci-fi movies I grew up on had predicted. For mental and spiritual health, I decided that video meetings were only for work, and I stopped attending the Tuesday night prayer group.

At the same time, Sr. Carol asked me to join the Board of Centering Space, which is redefining revenue streams, financial resources, and marketing tools to better position the Centering Space for its next phase of ministry. There were lots of reasons to say no–I am not an expert in any of those things; I am not Catholic; it would add more Zoom meetings; and I was new to Centering Space. Although I had no idea what I was getting myself into, I said yes because it felt like the Holy Spirit was guiding me to this place. As a Board member I have dabbled in more of the programs offered by Centering Space, and I have found other kindred spirits who appreciate the contemplative path.

My contemplative path follows the Spirit, whom I sense at Centering Space as She blows like the cool wind off Lake Erie, flows like water in the garden, flies like a dove bringing the peace that passes all understanding while sitting in the still silence of contemplative prayer. The essence of the ministry at Centering Space is holding intentional space for individuals to connect with God as they build a deeper sense of self, a richer sense of relationship and unity, and a wider sense of being in this world.

Long ago I learned that the Spirit dances to a hymn of hope that will be played and sung in the future. Sitting still, intentionally focusing on breath, paying attention to how the Spiritual path is zigging and zagging, we each can hear the hymn of hope and justice today. In this weird pandemic year I learned that Centering Space offers an intentional space to sense the Spirit moving in our world today, calling us to a future of hope.