MEDITATION TIP —
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time June 23, 2024

“Teacher, do you not mind if we drown?” (Mark 4:38)

　The calm sea has a soothing effect, but once it gets rough, it changes its form into a terrifying shape that can swallow up life. But while the sea was rough for the disciples, it was calm for Jesus, who was asleep. Life can be compared to a nautical voyage. There are times when life is favorable, and there are times when it is stormy. However, when life is on the upswing, it is easy to become complacent and lose sight of the feelings of those who are suffering. On the contrary, it is during the stormy times of life, or adversity, that we learn much and our lives are deepened. But whether your life is calm or stormy depends on your mindset.

　“When the mind is dark, then everything you encounter is a disaster; when the eyes are clear, then you are touched by the path and all are treasures” (Kukai).

　When our mind is depressed, everything we see in the world appears to be full of misfortune and anxiety. On the contrary, if our mind is pure and clear, everything in the world is a treasure. When reality does not go the way we want it to, we tend to immediately blame others and society. However, anxiety and hesitation are in our own mind, and if we calm our mind, we can see a different world. If you want to change the world, you must first change yourself.

　Many of Ishikawa Takuboku’s works deal with the sea and sand. In his collection of poems, “A Handful of Sand,” he wrote, “I cry wetly on the white sand of the islets of the Tokai Sea, and I play with crabs.” “I wrote more than a hundred Chinese characters for ‘big’ in the sand. I quit dying and came back home.” One day, Takuboku left his house to go to the sea to cry for days on end. One day, Takuboku left his house to go to the sea to cry for days. However, he was struck by the vast ocean he saw on the Seikan Liner and wrote in his diary, “The mountains do not move, but the sea always moves. What does not move is like sleep, like death, but the sea is moving, always moving. This is constant awakening, enduring freedom.” There were no more tears before the ocean, and his mind was liberated. Life, like the ocean, is in constant motion. Life is not all good, and it is normal to have bad things. Takuboku may have thought that if we learn something from the good, we can learn even more from the bad.

　The path of life is not only the path you are going to take, but also the path you have taken so far. This is important, and to think about life is rather to look back on life.

“Don’t scold the children, for it is the road we have taken. Don’t laugh at an old person, it’s the road we are going. The road you have come, the road you are going. The road you will take today, the road you will take in the future, it is a road you cannot take again.” (Myokojin).

　God never gives us a return ticket to life. Life is always a one-way ticket.

 　　　　　(Contribution by Father Akabae)