Today’s Word: Empty

We say little children are like sponges because their young, uncluttered minds are emptier than ours and thus able to soak up everything around them. We adults, on the other hand, are so filled with information, data, deadlines and headlines that it can feel like we are filled to the brim. No more room! One more reason to become like little children, I suppose.

St. Ignatius (whose feast day we celebrate tomorrow) once wrote that, when we pray, we should become like sponges, soaking up God’s presence. But wait…if we’re so full…where’s the room for God? Ah, exactly. In order to be filled by God, we must empty ourselves, squeezing out the excess of our lives and making room for the divine. We live lives saturated by all the noise — good and bad — that surrounds us on every side, demanding our attention and our response. Only when we shut ourselves off from this constant din and empty our minds of the surplus of our lives can we expect to find God and allow ourselves to be filled in a new, truly refreshing way.

Ask yourself in silence:  How can I empty myself in order to make room for God in my life? What has to go in order for there to be more room for God?