SSR

A few weeks ago, I gave a talk at Mt. Carmel Academy in New Orleans.  As the bell rang to signal the beginning of the class period, the students all pulled out their rosaries.  One decade of the rosary was led over the school sound system, while everyone in the school answered in prayer.  Then, for the next ten minutes, every student, every teacher, every administrator and staff member engaged in SSR -- silent, sustained reading.  No one talked or looked around; everyone was engaged in reading for her own purpose and intent.  Then the class began with the teacher asking for prayer intentions, followed by a short communal prayer to Henriette Delille, the class patron.

As I participated in the prayer and reading, I reflected what a difference it would make if schools all over the country -- or at least, Catholic schools, ---- followed this pattern.  Instead of the teacher shouting for control; instead of wound-up, highly-energized students attempting to settle down and focus, class begins with calm prayer and sustained reading.  What a sense of peace and calm pervaded the classroom that afternoon!  What a sense of joy the students communicated to me as I talked to them!  Their faces reflected the inner beauty of a calm spirit instead of the restlessness one might often expect at the last period of a long school day.

I know from studies of the brain and what happens in the learning process that peace is the key to learning.  The amygdala is a small area in the central part of the brain; whenever we feel scared or threatened, the amygdala shuts down the rest of the brain in order to focus entirely on the perceived danger.  This is one reason people of faith turn to the rosary in times of anxiety, fear, or stress.  The rosary occupies the language center of the brain, over-riding the thoughts that tend to paralyze our thinking and even our breathing.  It is impossible to continue rehearsing and re-hashing the thoughts of fear, hurt, and anxiety while we are saying the rosary.  The process slows down our breathing as well as our anxious thoughts, allowing God the freedom to move in our spirits and give us peace.

It occurred to me during this experience that this short process of prayer and reading is a wonderful way to begin each day, especially for people who find prayer difficult.  It gives the Holy Spirit an entrance into our lives, allowing Him greater freedom to direct our thoughts.  And at the end of the day, what a wonderful way to prepare for sleep.  I wish now that I had practiced a decade of the rosary with my children at bedtime, after they were tucked into bed.  We always read at night, but how blessed it would have been to begin with the rosary as prayer!

Whenever I teach a confirmation class (11th grade), I encourage them to read the Bible; sometimes we read passages together in class.  But now I am re-thinking that process. I am thinking that 10 minutes of SSR following the rosary might be more beneficial, as students will be more aware of what is going on inside of them as they read -- and I am confident that the Holy Spirit will use every opportunity to speak to us when we are silent and tuned in to His Voice.

One of the greatest joys of my life has been receiving direction from the Spirit of God -- and I am grateful to the students and teachers of Mt. Carmel academy for showing me a new path to openness to the Holy Spirit.