HONG KONG (SE): “Prayer changes our minds. We have no right to pray for other people or for the world to be changed unless we are being changed,” said Father Laurence Freeman, the director of World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM), now present in over 100 countries. He was talking to the diocesan weeklies, the Sunday Examiner and Kung Kao Po on February 16.
Father Freeman came to Hong Kong to promote the tradition of meditation among different groups in a series of activities in mid-February. Under the theme of Power of Meditation: Peace within and peace in the World, Father Freeman gave two open talks on February 16 and 17 at the University of Hong Kong and St. Paul’s Convent School.
Referring to the theme of the talks this year, “peace within and peace in the world”, Father Freeman told the Sunday Examiner that “peace” in the world, even if achieved, is temporary, patched-up and superficial. “But the peace of Christ is unbroken and continuous energy of the divine life. That is why when Jesus appeared after the resurrection, his first word was ‘peace’ as he breathed on his disciples. “This peace stays with us even when we are in trouble, when we are disappointed, or hurt, or betrayed, or in despair. That peace can still be with us even through those difficult times,” Father Freeman said.
He pointed out that modern technology has deprived human beings’ ability to feel the beauty and goodness of nature and see nature as a resource enabling people to make money. “And we continue to abuse the planet as a drug addict abuses his own body… Irrationally we are sacrificing family, friends and health,” he said.
Father Freeman stressed that pure prayer through meditation was a form of healing during the spiritual and physical trials during the pandemic. “We pray for healing, but we must also understand that prayer is healing. And the deeper our prayer goes, the more we enter into the prayer of the Spirit who is always praying in us,” he said.
Father Freeman also said that the pandemic had given a chance to the international group to promote meditation to people who need that to cope with stress. The outbreak of Covid-19 at the beginning of 2020 came a time when he and other members were in a long retreat in their international centre in Bonnevaux, France, in which they felt blessed and fortunate praying four times a day. However, he was also aware that there were a lot of people in the world who felt trapped, anxious and depressed about the shutdowns. Under travel restrictions, the community could only promote meditation online. Its online programme, titled “A Contemplative Path Through the Crisis”, grew immensely in the next two or three years. Many people responded to the idea of creating a structure in their daily lives to meditate.
Remembering Columban Father Tommy Murphy, the late longtime spiritual director of the WCCM Hong Kong, who passed away in January this year, Father Freeman said that he was a selfless missionary. “As a fellow Irishman, I understood his qualities, his humour and his wisdom. He was a missionary, born to serve in this selfless way,” he said.
In a talk organised by the Faith and Global Engagement at the University of Hong Kong on February 16, Father Freeman shared with over 300 participants, including students, staff of the university and others, the importance of meditation to their spiritual and daily lives. He pointed out that meditation helped people to taste the truth. “Meditation is a way of tasting the truth, a truth will set you free (as) Jesus said,” he said. “… it does help us to do, first of all, to see what our real problems are. To see reality, not filtered through our desires or fears or prejudices or anxieties,” he continued.
He advised his listeners in the university to incorporate meditation into their daily schedules twice a day.
After the talk, Father Freeman led the participants to meditate through one Christian sacred word, or the mantra, which was repeated faithfully and lovingly as they let go of thoughts, words and imagination and enter into an ever-deepening journey into stillness and silence. The suggested mantra word is Maranatha, used by St. Paul at the end of his first letter to the Corinthians, which means, “Come, Lord Jesus!”
Furthermore, Father Freeman gave a private talk for students joining the Lead for Life, a character leadership programme of the University of Hong Kong, on February 18, explaining how spiritual peace in Christ can enhance leadership skills. Over 300 students attended the talk.
Father Freeman concluded his visit to Hong Kong with a contemplative Mass celebrated on February 19 at the Caritas Institute of Higher Education together with Father Arturo de la Torre, chaplain of the institute.
