Ten spiritual exercises

Let us begin with the story of Elijah the prophet. Elijah did a miracle on Mount Carmel and fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice. After that, the evil queen, Jezebel, sent messengers to threaten his life, saying she was going to kill him. At this moment of weakness, Elijah was deeply saddened and sensed profound loneliness. In confusion, he went far away because of his great fear for his life. When he tried to pray, he failed. Then God sent him an angel who brought him even farther away, into the wilderness, to Mount Horeb (which is Mount Sinai). In this lonely place, there was a great wind, splitting mountains and shattering rocks, but God was not in the wind. Then there was an earth quake, but God was not in it. Then there was a fire and in fear Elijah asked with a loud voice, are you there God. For the third time, there was no answer. Then there was total silence. Are you here God? This time God was in the fine voice of silence. He began to speak to Elijah quietly, a soft voice, and He asked him: “ What has happened to you Elijah?” In other words, he was saying: we have known each other for a long time and you know that I do not like noise but rather quiet and tranquility. So Elijah was calmed and began to listen to the voice of God and to how He guided him in whispered tones.. The kingdom of God comes in quiet and tranquility…

First exercise: Lower the tone of your voice: do not shout, do not speak in a loud voice. If you get used to lowering your voice’ it will give you the chance to think about the words that come out of your mouth. You will be able to think when to speak and what to say. Jesus is our example: he spoke in a soft voice even when he was teaching the multitude.

Second exercise: Do not speak too fast. Do not interrupt what others are saying. Often, one does not even hear the other person to the end. Many times, this leads to confusion and a lack of respect. Gradually, things get more complicated, more than was ever intended and one does not understand the other. This is intimately connected to our way of life – everything is done too quickly. Listening carefully and considering what one says and when one says it – few words can get the message across much better.

Third exercise: Practicing listening. Often, one is busy with something else when the other is speaking. When one answers, one is reacting with something that is not connected to what was said. Also in prayer, listening is essential and it is even better to listen than to speak. It is better to say little and only useful things rather than to chatter without any purpose.

Fourth exercise: Take distance from people for a time. Often, we are afraid to be alone. It is very important to practice being alone. To be far away from noise and people brings us into silence. Jesus Christ often took his distance from the crowds, even at times of pressure.

Fifth exercise: Go out into nature. Nature helps to achieve silence. When one goes into the wilderness, to the sea or into the forest… the silence that is in nature helps to calm one. Jesus Christ tauight his disciples in nature.

Sixth exercise: Exploit quiet times. When people are asleep, it is useful to get up early just as Jesus did.

Seventh exercise: Do not be addicted to images and news. Quiet the senses with a fast of the eyes and avoid watching television compulsively and get used to turning it off. Stop going to malls and other places that distract one’s mind and do not bring quiet.

Eighth exercise: Link up with quiet people. Make friends with wise people and the elderly. Sit with them and listen to them.

Ninth exercise: Read. Read the Gospel and the Holy Scriptures as well as spiritual books. The written word helps to calm.

Tenth exercise: Move from place to place gently, in everything be calm, do not hurry, calculate each move. Imagine that one is passing next to a candle – does one’s movement extinguish the candle or does the calm and serene movement not disturb the candle’s flame.

View Father Daoud Lam’i in Arabic here