How often have we heard or said St. Francis' words: “Be who you are and be that well”? If you’re like me, many times. But how often do we focus on the first word, “be”? Be who you are. Be that well. That leads me back to Fr. Hausuer’s sophomore English class and William Shakespeare: “To be or not to be. That is the question.” Do we take time to be? And recent sage advice tells us that we are human beings, not human doings. Simply put, be.
According to the entry for “be” on Vocabulary.com: “To be is to exist, or to take place.” Being does not involve doing anything other than existing. Maybe because my schedule has been rather full of late, taking time to exist and reflect on my place in the world, is a rare commodity. Yet I need to be and to be aware that I am in the presence of God, aware that I am with God and God is with me.
When I take time to be with a friend, sometimes talking, sometimes quiet, sometimes walking, sometimes sitting together, I am aware that life, itself, is a great gift. I am aware that occupying a place in this world and in the mind of God is a blessing. And then, to be with another who wants to be with me fills my heart with gratitude.
When I take time to be alone and focus on my breath, my heartbeat, and my life, it invites me to see myself as God sees me: beloved, gentle, strong, vulnerable, sinful, different today than I was yesterday, and a creature of the Creator who knit me together in my mother’s womb.
When I move into the awareness that I am not alone in my solitariness, that I am in the presence of that Creator, God, who has loved me into being, I am filled with awe on some days. I am aware of my sinfulness on others. Yet, even in my sinfulness, God loves me. As St. Francis de Sales also said: “Let us consider often what God has done for us and what we have done against God. As we reflect on our sins one by one, let us also consider God’s graces one by one. There is no need to fear that knowledge of God’s gifts will make us proud, if only we remember this truth, they are from God and not from ourselves. A lively consideration of graces received makes us humble because knowledge of them begets gratitude for them” (INT. Part III, Ch. 5; O. III, p. 146).
I can become so busy doing everyday tasks or putting my faith into action that I forget to take time to be. I forget to remember God’s graces and gifts. Often I need those memories when I think I am more sinful than forgiven, more unloved than loveable. We need to use our gifts to make Christ seen in the ways we dwell upon this earth. But we need to be aware of God’s love to do so with gratitude, awe, and generosity.
So today I invite you and me to “be who you are and be that well.” Summer and vacations can be a good time to reflect on these words. As we reflect put the emphasis on being. Breathe in the love of God. Feel God’s Spirit beating in your heart and flowing through your body. Feel God’s presence in the breeze that surrounds you. In humility be with God. Who knows what we’ll discover? Maybe the wonder and awe in God’s presence and our being will flow out in words and works of gratitude and joy. Be with the God who has created us as we are and loves us into being each day, will make us even more well day in and day out. May God be praised.
Fr. Paul Colloton, OSFS, D.Min.
Superior
DeSales Centre Oblate Residence, Childs, MD
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