The Fullness of Life
In Touch with the Center
I once met a very intelligent young man who, in spite of his successful career, finds life empty and meaningless: "I just do not know what is lacking. I have a good job, and understanding and supportive wife, and lovely kids, but still life is just so boring and dry!" I was not surprised at all; I have met many people with the same predicament.
"Look at the trees around," I said, "Their leaves are so green, which is a sign that their roots are able to reach down to the depths and gather water." Then I added, "You feel spiritually dry because you are not in touch with your deepest center."
Our Lord said, "The kingdom of God is with you." There is in each of us a deep center where we meet God. In biblical terms it is called "the heart." this heart or center is not a physical thing or location but a spiritual reality. It is within that level of our consciousness which is beyond sense impressions, thoughts, feelings, beyond space and time. At this very center we experience pure prayer because we are in touch with God.
What depth psychologists recognize as the Self or Higher Self, which is distinct from the Ego or "I" of Conscious Self, is what some ancient Christian writers claim as the "image of God" in us. To reclaim our true self we must restore that unity between our ego and our deepest self which sin has separated. The deepest self or center of our being is our point of contact with the divine. Our wholeness or holiness comes from our habitual union with God who dwells at this deepest center.
Vatican Council II stated in its document, "Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes) that this deepest center in us is our conscience:
"His conscience is man's most secret core, and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths." (n. 16)
We cannot be in touch with God unless we are also in touch with our conscience. Our worship will be inauthentic if it is all external. This Church's document is emphatic on that:
"Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and evil, tells him inwardly at the right moment: do this, shun that. For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. His dignity lies in observing this law, and by it he will be judged." (ibid.)
The document continues:
"By conscience, in a wonderful way, that law is made known which is fulfilled in the love of God and of one's neighbor. Through loyalty to conscience Christians are joined to other men in the search for truth and for the right solution to so many moral problems which arise both in the life of individuals and from social relationships." (ibid.)
One way of keeping in touch with our deepest self or center is to set enough time each day to read and meditate on the Word of God and to examine our conscience in the light of the Sacred Text. This practice, done regularly, will gradually restore unity within us, bring healing to our inner wounds and peace to our restless soul. We will also begin to live a richer life - a fuller and more meaningful life because we are in touch with God, the Author of life.