Kenneth Leech, in his book True Prayer noted: A facial expression or a warm hug is more than a symbol; it is a sacrament, for it expresses and conveys the personality behind it.
Mother Teresa also seems to recognize this in terms of relationships in general---especially in the fast-paced, efficient modern world in which we live. She tells the following story: "Some time ago a group of professors from the United States came to our house in Calcutta. Before leaving, they said to me, 'Tell us something that will help us, that will help us become holy.' And I said to them, 'Smile at each other' (because we have no time to even look at each other).
....The more we are able to catch the rays of interpersonal kindness that come our way, the more we can have our own human inner warmth fanned; the more we can reach out to everyone we meet with a sense of heart and hope (even if people don't seem to appreciate it in the way we would want them to), the more the cold emotions will be offset and overcome by warmth and caring.
Robert Wicks goes on to point out that clowns in the circus are not the main event---they come in between the "important stuff" with smiles and silly flowers to remind us that what really counts is not the spectacular and sensational, but, as Will Farrell said in Elf, that "Someone needs a hug!" In the midst of "busyness," we are all called to slow down and be sacraments of smiles and hugs to other people.
I know many people who are afraid of the false friendliness of clowns, as I also know many who can discern false friendliness in others. Many times the only safe first step is availability, even when there is no sense of acceptance. Accepting silence can sometimes be sacramental.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see you defining non-clerical means of sharing sacraments. Thanks.