ARMCHAIR EXERCISES

Ask someone to describe what a typical training regimen might include for the Olympic track and field athlete, and the answer will almost always involve stopwatches, weights, early-morning runs, and fierce competition. What is less likely to be mentioned are armchair exercises wherein athletes are encouraged to sit quietly and simply visualize their competitive strategies.

Mental practice might be thought of as armchair rehearsal--repeating a certain task or activity over and over in your mind until you've got it exactly right. It has the specific intent of learning--where to plant your feet, when to make the jump--only without any observable movement.

Imagery is a common type of mental practice, also popular in Ignatian Spirituality, in which you take in as much information, from all your senses, about the activity in order to create an experience in your mind. As a young pole vaulter my coach regularly had me lay in the pole vault pit, in silence, imagining every detail of myself running down the track, planting the pole, and hurtling myself up and over the bar. He’d tell me to mentally "take a picture" and use it as a model for future performance. He’d say: “See it in your mind; do it on the field.”[1]

Today’s reading paints a picture of a man extraordinarily blessed to lead Yahweh’s people. The description heralds the restoration of an Eden-like state that will serve as a model for the other nations on earth. Christians saw the prophecy fulfilled in Jesus and came to believe that blessings in his life are gifts that could be shared, to a lesser degree, in the lives of his followers: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, fear of the Lord.[2]

Jesus, in today's Gospel, rejoiced in the Holy Spirit at his Father’s decision to reveal both His will and His Son. What the disciples’ have seen and heard is far more than personal accomplishments, it is an intimate understanding that God is the ultimate victor.

So, for us, the typical training regimen in the season of Advent, needs to include armchair exercises. Find a quiet spot, contemplate the stories of the season; we know the expectations for the life of a disciple.  Take the time to sit in silence, to visualize the ideal state of our relationship with God, all the blessings He has poured upon us; our relationships with family, the place where most of us learned about sacrificial love and how to commune with others; and our relationships and responsibilities in the local, national & global community, especially in responding to the poor and most in need.  Take in as much information from all your senses, about God’s vision for us to create an experience in your mind. Mentally "take a picture" and use it as a model for future performance. “See it in your mind; do it on the mission field.”

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[1] Psychology Today. “Visions of Victory” by Steven Ungerleider published July 1, 1992.

[2] Weekday HomilyHelps.