The capacity to be faithful takes us really to the essence of what it is to be human.
And fidelity is one of the fruits of the spirit,
As St.
Paul describes them.
I said that when we say the mantra,
We try to say it faithfully.
That gives us an insight experientially into how we can live our lives in a faithful way.
Faith begins with a decision or a movement of the self towards another or towards something we believe in.
So there's a choice in a sense and there's a gift of commitment.
It begins with a commitment,
A decision to do something.
So we decide when we meditate,
We're going to say the mantra faithfully from the beginning to the end as best we can.
Then of course,
We discover that that's not so easy.
And we're constantly being unfaithful to the mantra,
But we don't have to blame ourselves.
That's just the way the mind is.
And so every time we are unfaithful,
We become distracted.
We simply renew that fidelity,
That faithful commitment,
And start saying it again.
And that's true,
Not only in meditation,
As we learn to say the mantra and allow the mantra to become rooted in our hearts,
But it's true of every human relationship,
Or every meaningful commitment we make with our lives.
Of course,
Human beings are human and we fail,
We are unfaithful,
We break commitments with many things in our lives we would like to do,
We fail to do.
Nevertheless,
That can always be healed by a renewal of that act of faith.
So we can think of meditation as a way of learning to live faithfully,
Simply because we're learning to say the mantra faithfully.
There's a beautiful expression from St.
Irenaeus in the second century,
The beginning is faith,
The end is love,
And the union of the two is God.
That's what we're living in our faithful journey of meditation.
Let's take a moment again to sit upright,
To be alert and relaxed,
Peaceful,
Accept ourselves just as we are,
Whether we're tired or distracted or fidgety,
We accept ourselves as we are,
And we begin.
Sitting still,
Closing our eyes and saying the mantra faithfully.
Ma-ra-na-tha.
Ma-ra-na-tha.
Ma-ra-na-tha.
Ma-ra-na-tha.
Ma-ra-na-tha.
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Ma-ra-na-tha.
Ma-ra-na-tha.
This is from the Isha Upanishad.
Those who see all creatures in themselves,
And themselves in all creatures,
Know no fear.
Those who see all creatures in themselves,
And themselves in all creatures,
Know no grief.
How can the multiplicity of life delude the one who sees its unity?
The Self is everywhere.
Right is the Self who holds the cosmos together.
