Our Hearts Are Our Monasteries: silence bears us there
… our hearts are our monasteries and at the bottom of every activity, every reflection, every decision, there is silence, the kind of silence one shares only with God. Adolfo Nicolae, SJ
It was deadly silence
hour drive with my dance practice partner
silence surging from unspoken screams
It was long-winded silence
with my best friend from seminary
silence suffusing care between infrequent connections
It was slippery silence
with ailing couple in echoing, clanging, jangling restaurant
they cannot hear my words I barely unearth theirs
It was luxurious silence
sitting, waiting, remembering alone
silence simmers consolation affection solidarity
Activity is best when animated with silence
Friendship is best when saturated with silence
Listening is best when surrounded with silence
Praying is best when resting with silence
Learning silence is like practicing for a marathon
having never run a mile
it requires diligent practice and faith.
There is no assurance
this is not a waste of time.
Poem by Debra Asis
If you appreciate this blog
please stay on the site for 30+ seconds and clap!
Subscribe for an email whenever I post. Thank you.
Adolfo Nicolae, SJ’s quote is found in today’s selection in An Ignatian Book of Days by Jim Martin, SJ, a series of daily reflections from the Spiritual Wisdom of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Throughout the book we hear the voices of St. Ignatius as well as many great thinkers and writers, long gone and present day, each uniquely revealing the way of finding God in all things. And that is my intention; to find God/Divine Presence/Ultimate Reality in whatever presents itself to me each day in 2024.
Each day I read, reflect and write on the selection, hoping to articulate the ways in which I come to know God/Divine Presence/Ultimate Reality via personal experience, impelled by the leading of my inner life.
INVITATION
Would you like to join me? The book is accessible on Amazon. Let me know in the comments to this post and sign up to get an email whenever I post. I would love to read your reflections too, public or private messages welcome!
If you find this post meaningful please clap and leave a comment. If you have not yet, please subscribe to receive an email when I post. Thank you!
Learn more about me at
https://www.debraasis.org
All words are generated by grace and the grit of a real human being,
Debra Asis
