Dear Friends,
The pool has been very busy lately. It’s hard convincing yourself to roll out of bed early in the morning, in the dark, when it’s -17˚C, and make your way to the pool. It’s hard to imagine that long, cold journey to the water’s edge, dripping wet after showering and then throwing yourself into the frigid depths. Easier to roll over and say… tomorrow. I will go tomorrow, I promise.
This is the time of year when the pool gets busy. Almost any other time of the year, there are the usual dozen or so swimmers who go every day at the same time. We know our place, the lane that we are comfortable swimming in. We know each other’s pacing. We wave to each other; some we know by name, and we chat a little. Mostly, though, we are there to swim and to get lost in the pleasure of breathing, meditating, floating and finding a bit of peace in the water.
When it’s busy, when there are too many swimmers, your rhythm is thrown off, your pacing is disturbed and it’s hard to get lost in the flow. By the end of February, the New Year’s resolution made at the turn of the year will fade a little and the number of swimmers will go back to the usual dozen or so.
Getting through the first few lengths is always hard. Muscles are stiff, breathing is shallow, balance is off. Sometimes, I find it discouraging. Yet with persistence, with rolling, stretching, pushing and talking to yourself…keep going… it gets easier. You begin to feel lighter in the water somehow. Endorphins are released and the rhythm is established in body, mind, heart and soul.
Swimming isn’t just a workout. It’s an act of prayer for me. I take you with me. I take the worries, the concerns, the hopes, the dreams of the Church with me. And there are moments in the pool when I get lost in wonder, love and praise, as Charles Wesley puts it in the last line of the hymn “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.”
When our lives are busy, when the demands of everyday life take hold, it’s easy to fall out of the habit of praying. It’s easy to get on with your day or read a little before bed, or say, I will start tomorrow… I promise. Establishing a rhythm of daily prayer is part of our commitment as a Diocese, especially during the Season of Spiritual Renewal. Some of us pray in small groups, some on our own. Some of us like meditation or contemplation. Some of us like a form of prayer in the BCP or the BAS. And others like alternative liturgies.
I invite you to take the Church with you in your rhythm of prayer in 2025. Bring the worries, the concerns, the hopes and the dreams of the Church. One way of doing that is to use the Cycle of Prayer that includes petitions for ministries, missions and programs in our Diocese, the national church and throughout the Anglican Communion.
Don’t wait until tomorrow. Start today.
Yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Andrew Asbil
Bishop of Toronto
