Metro Prayer

If you add up the minutes in a typical week, it's likely that you spend far more time in a Metro car
(or in your own car crawling along the Beltway) than you do in church. That's nothing to feel guilty
about - it's reality. But it's also a challenge and an invitation to be observant and aware
of Christ's presence at those times, and to receive whatever God
wants to give you, right then and there.

It's 8:30AM on the Red Line, or the Blue Line
(or practically any line at Rush Hour). If you're
lucky, maybe 2 or 3 fingers have a precarious
grip on the overhead bar or the back of a seat.
With each jerky stop-and-go, only those fingers
stand between you and tumbling disaster.

It's tight. You can count the follicles in the head
of the woman in front of you. With a mere sweep
of your eyes, you have your pick of over-
the-shoulder reading: Post, Times, Economist,
Express, Journal. As you inhale 30 distinct personal odors, you begin second-guessing your own
choice of perfume, or cologne, or mouthwash, or...

And where, in all this swirling, teetering, mass of humanity is Christ to be found?

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

St. Patrick may never have ridden a jammed Metro car, but that's a perfect setting for you
to discover for yourself what his prayer really means.

Take it literally! Our Catholic faith, theology, and spirituality insists that every human being
carries within them an image and likeness of God; a deep, interior presence of Christ within
every face you see (or the back of every head, for that matter!).

So... who do you see in front of you on the Metro car today? Who is standing or sitting to
your right? To your left? Take a quick glance behind you. How is Christ present to you
in them? How is Christ revealed to them through you?

Some Practical Tips

~ No need to stare or gawk - just a simple look to take in the scene, then reflect

~ If your commute spans several stops, pick a different direction for each leg of the journey:
Farragut North to Dupont Circle, think about that guy on my right... etc.

~ "What if I'm attracted to the person? Won't that kill my prayer?" In other words: What has
Christ got to do with that hot guy or girl?? Everything! To be attracted to certain people
is an unavoidable fact of your humanity. What you do with that attraction is a choice you
make. Your thoughts can spin off into empty, self-centered fantasies, or they can grow
in appreciation of real love. Ask the Holy Spirit for some direction here, and don't be afraid
to challenge some of your old habits.

~ "What if I find the person repulsive? What if they are rude, or filthy, or they stink? Those thoughts
aren't very Christ-like!" First, don't deny your honest reaction to the person. Don't pretend you see
their "inner beauty" when all you feel is disgust. But stay with it, and ask the Holy Spirit for
some deeper insight into who that person is. If you ever met Jesus of Nazareth in first-century
Palestine, the first things you would likely notice would be his pocked skin, bad teeth, greasy hair,
and strong body odor. None of those would make him stand out from his contemporaries, but
they might not look at all like the sandy-haired, blue-eyed Jesus from that prayer card you had
as a kid. As you pray, ask the Spirit to help you see beyond your dislike, to see the person - the
embodiment of Christ - that is before you. Again, prepare to be challenged. Maybe your initial
reaction will lead you to face fears or situations in your own life that you would just as soon ignore.