How can we be disciples in this modern world? Well here is a way to begin: let me describe to you this very simple way of renouncing our possessions, and of leaving self behind and of following Jesus. To meditate, we lay aside our thoughts. By thoughts I mean thoughts of the past, thoughts about the future, our fantasies, our imaginary conversations, our fears, our worries, our doubts, our anxieties – basically everything that is streaming through the mind continuously. And meditation doesn’t just turn all that off like you turn off the TV. You can’t just stop all of that mental activity, but what we can do is to take our attention off all of that. We can learn little by little to take the attention off ourselves because as long as we are caught up in all of that thinking and planning and worrying and fantasising, we will be focused on ourselves, we won’t be leaving self behind.
(Christian Life in the Light of Christian Meditation 1: Discipleship by Laurence Freeman OSB )
