Reflection
Reflection is looking back over the past and learning from it. Observing the highs and lows of a given time period allows us to celebrate the good things and to think upon those things we could have done better. Reflecting gives us an opportunity to step outside of ourselves and look at given interactions more objectively since we are no longer in the action. The emotions and environmental influences are more distant, and we can take an honest look at things as they actually were to the best of our recollection.
Reflection is not meant to be a time for beating oneself up over the past, or to wish for those wonderful things that occurred in the past to happen again. It is a time to be grateful. It is a time to be grateful for all of those wonderful past things. Those things that we remember well and are fond of and desire to “return” to. The interesting thing about the past and good things is that even as great as they where, they can never happen again. The only wonderful things that can happen in the future are going to be new and different from the wonderful things of the past. The wonderful future can be just as good and will always be different.
Reflection is also a time to be grateful for the things that we failed to do or could have done better. Especially those times and failures due to sin. With sin being a time of not loving God and Neighbor. Not because we are grateful for the things that we did not do or could have done better, but because we are grateful for being forgiven. We are forgiven because through Christ we can “return” to God today. We are grateful because our Father in Heaven sent the Son to save us and not condemn us. To rescue us from the clutches of sin and death and to live in rooms that Jesus went ahead and prepared for his own. We are grateful for the grace we did not earn, are not worthy of, nor deserve.
Reflection is a part of being a disciple. It gives us the opportunity to explore gratitude in our life so far. There is so much distraction in this life and it seems that are so many things going wrong. Take the time to look back on your day, week, month or whatever and focus on something worth your time: gratitude.
Fr. Mitch+