Meditation Moment in Eastertide ~ Tuesday, Week 6 '23

A modern interpretation of the 14th century Persian poet Hafez says: 

Being so preoccupied as we are with needing to be satisfied, 

it seems we would be better at it by now. 

~ Khwāje Shams-od-Dīn Moḥammad Ḥāfeẓ-e Shīrāzī*

aka Hafez or Hafiz

   Aging Baby Boomers still rock out with gusto on I Can't Get No Satisfaction... Hafez's statement is 6 centuries old and it seems we really aren't any better at it now!

   So many in today's world anesthetize themselves, in new and newer ways, with the acquisition of MORE of everything, whether material goods, growing numbers of social media contacts and outlets, additional streaming services, etc. Many of us are chasing after satisfying every possible known desire and those soon-to-be discovered through the next advertisement or word of mouth or some thing better than what the neighbors have. And yet, More is never Enough.  How do we learn to recognize what we are doing? One other of Hafez' poems speaks clearly to me when I stop and allow myself to breathe as I hear these words: 

I am a hole in a flute

that the Christ's breath moves through-

listen to this music.

              Dear Everyday God of Real Life, help me stop thinking of want as need. Let me find the true gift of being in the ordinary, the routine, the everyday. A simple smiley face in a text or email feels as good to give as to get to say "I'm thinking of you." On those "special" holidays and holy days, I want and need to remember that less really is more.
            Oh, yes, and Thank You, Lord, sometimes I just need a place to stop, rest, and think about what life is truly meant to be. You are always there waiting for me to remember. And, in terms of being the Great Listener, of course, You're the best! I don't have to explain or make excuses, and anyway which of either is useful, especially to You about me? Even when I don't get what I (think) I want, with You in my heart there is always enough. When I allow You to breathe through me, together we will bring the music of You to all we know and meet. Amen.

*Ḥāfeẓ, 'the memorizer; the (safe) keeper'; 1325–1390) and as "Hafiz", was a Persian lyric poet whose collected works are regarded by many Iranians as a pinnacle of Persian Literature. His works are often found in the homes of people in the Persian-speaking world, who learn his poems by heart and use them as everyday proverbs and sayings. His life and poems have become the subjects of much analysis, commentary and interpretation, influencing post-14th century Persian writing more than any other Persian author. His works have been translated into nearly every language in the world. [per Wikipedia]

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