Day 12. Level of Awareness
Morpheus: It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Morpheus: That you are a slave, Neo. That you like everyone else, was born into bondage…kept inside a prison that you cannot smell, cannot taste, or touch. A prison for your mind.
Morpheus and Neo,
The Matrix
We begin now to explore the level surface of your life. We call this flat, square, stone platform our “Level of Awareness.” On it we see everything that we encounter consciously in our daily life. Your family is there, your friends, your possessions, your work, your home. Everything that is part of your conscious life is present in your “Level of Awareness.”
However, it is important to remember that these things exist in your Level of Awareness only as you experience them and as you perceive them to be – not necessarily as they really are. So, if you perceive your boss to be mean or unfair, that is the way he or she appears on the surface of your life – even though he/she may in fact be a very kind and generous person. The Level of Awareness, then, presents the world to you through your own point of view and your own biases. That’s an important thing to remember. We must always question our own perceptions of the persons, places, ideas and objects in our lives. After asking ourselves, “How do I perceive this...?” we do well to press in with, “Is my perception based on reality? Is it really so?”
As you stand on the surface that is the Level of Awareness, you pause to listen. The silence you’ve created in your life by tuning out the media makes this listening possible. What do you hear now? This flat area, you will notice, makes a lot of noise! Why? It isn’t very stable. It creaks and pops and groans. Notice how it moves too. It sways and shifts underneath you almost constantly. When the gale winds blow hard, it shudders. When the sands far below the surface shift, it pitches to one side and makes a terrible screeching sound. There are times, in fact, when it tips so violently that you nearly fall off. It’s a serious business. Intuitively you know that falling from this height will be fatal. You will not survive. That’s why most of us don’t like silence. When we still our minds and listen, we hear the creaking instability of our lives. It can be very disturbing.
Some people never get beyond this realization. To become aware of my inner life can be an upsetting experience in the early stages. Things are not as secure as I might like to believe. Some will quickly turn on the TV or the radio and drown out the creaking sounds once again. Resist this temptation. We place our confidence in God and again we pray for courage.
God is also present in your Level of Awareness. That’s a good thing, right? Yes, it’s a very good thing...unless. It’s a very good thing unless that’s the only place He can be found in your life. I should explain this.
I’m always struck by people who say with confidence that “Jesus is at the center of my life” even though their lives do not reflect this at all. They may be living in evident sin and ignoring the teachings of the Church, completely disobedient to the commandments and ignorant of the scandal they cause to others. Boldly and confidently, however, they speak of their close, personal relationship with God. How can this be? I have an idea. Jesus is at the center of their Level of Awareness. But it is only Jesus as they perceive him to be; “Jesus from their point of view” – which may have very little to do with “Jesus as He really is”. As we said above, it’s a very important distinction. Also, Jesus may only be at their Level of Awareness. As we shall see, our Level of Awareness is not the most important aspect of our lives. What we see here is only part of the picture. The most critical aspect of our lives is grounded far beneath the Level of Awareness. Down where the howling, restless sands blow back and forth. That’s where we must search now. If you feel a little anxiety over this, it’s natural. But don’t be afraid. I think you’ll be fascinated by what we discover.
Novena Prayer
Jesus says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Pier Giorgio responds: The faith given to me in Baptism surely suggests to me that of yourself you will do nothing; but if you have God as the center of all your actions, then you will reach the goal.
Let us Pray: Blessed Pier Giorgio, teach me true poverty of spirit. Help me understand that God cares for me; and that He asks me, in return, to care for others, especially those in need. Guide me to make choices in my life which will show a preference for service of God and neighbor, rather than accumulating financial wealth and social advantage for myself. Give me a special love for the poor and the sick.
Blessed Pier Giorgio, I ask for your intercession in obtaining from God, Who is the Lover of the poor, all the grace necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare. I confidently turn to you for help in my present need: (in your own words, ask for the Lord to grant peace, clarity and loving guidance in your discernment journey)
A Book of Prayers in honor of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati by Rev. Timothy E. Deeter
Make it My Own
Daily Discernment Workbook
WORLDVIEWS
1. Questioning Reality
There are many ideas these days about what is real and what is not. Write under each of the statements below people you’ve met that hold these views (or something like them). Which of the following is “reality” for you? How does the definition you choose both help and challenge you?
Reality is what I think it is. If I change my mind about it tomorrow, then reality changes.
Nobody can know better than anybody else what is real, so reality comes down to your opinion against mine.
Reality is all illusion. We’re all living in a computer generated virtual reality. You can escape only through computers or your mind or by dressing in cool, cyber-punk leather clothes like Keanu Reeves.
Reality simply is. It is what it is no matter what I think about it; no matter what anybody thinks about it.
Reality is science. Or rather science alone enables us to grasp reality. If you can’t observe it, test it, prove it, it doesn’t exist.
Reality is in God. All that is exists only insofar as God wills it to be. If God says, “Let there be…” then it will be precisely as he says it will be.
REFLECT ON THE FATHERS
2. What is Truth?
St. Thomas Aquinas says the truth is the conformity of the ideas of the mind with reality. This means that reality is not “whatever is true for me.” It’s a fixed point, an unchangeable frame of reference, a non-negotiable. It also means that as we come to recognize what’s real, and as we change our minds to agree with what’s real, and as we change our behavior to match what’s real, we live in the truth.
Why is it to our advantage to live in the truth? Consider the following two situations.
A. Jason likes to eat fast food all the time. His brother Greg eats healthy food – including plenty of fruits, vegetables … with the occasional treat. Jason says, “It’s all good. Greg can eat what’s right for him. I’ll eat what’s right for me. Neither way is better.” Greg’s not so sure. What do you think?
a. Who’s eating right?
b. What’s the basic reality about nutrition that Jason is ignoring?
c. How do you suppose Jason will discover his error?
d. “You are what you eat.” How does this apply to Jason’s and Greg’s eating habits?
Yes, okay, pretty obvious. Now move from the level of the body to the level of the soul.
B. Jason likes to listen to music that is angry. It rambles with violent lyrics, hard, discordant sounds and driving rhythms. His brother Greg listens to music with positive messages, lively beats, and beautiful melodies. He especially loves music that helps him think about God. Jason says, “It’s all good. Greg can listen to what’s good for him. I’ll listen to what’s good for me. Neither music is better.” Greg, once again, isn’t convinced. Are you?
a. What are some differences between the first situation and the second?
b. How are the situations similar?
c. What is the reality that Jason is ignoring in this second situation?
d. How does the principle, “you are what you eat” apply in the realm of the soul?
Based on these two situations, write at least 5 reasons that it’s better to live in the truth –according to what’s real -- than to live in illusion or in lies.
3. WHO is Truth?
Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6). We tend to think of truth as a thing – sort of abstract and removed - but according to our faith, truth is also embodied in a person—a divine person. Truth is a somebody more than a something. Does this mean…
Jesus is, for me, whoever I think he is. If I think Jesus is one way, but somebody else thinks he is another way, then neither one of us is wrong. I’m right in my own way, and he/she’s right in his/her own way.
OR…
All truth, whether it’s truth about God or truth about science or truth about the proper care and maintenance of a motorcycle, is somehow part of the truth that is Jesus Christ.
Regardless of the answer you chose, why do you think so many choose the first?
MY FAITH BUILDERS
4. Pause and Pray About it.
If all truth leads to Christ, as I come to know and live according to what’s real, I come to know Christ. And I become what I know. I become Christ-like. It’s a marvelous realization. Take some time to reflect on this.
BRAIN STORM
5. Recall a Personal Crisis
In the reflection above, we spoke of times when our lives become unstable. Has your life ever been so violently shaken that you felt as though you would “fall off”? Write down the situation or event in your journal. How did you survive the crisis?
Conclude with
“Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be.
World without end, Amen.”
[0] lead quote - The Matrix, Warner Brothers, 1999 motion picture
