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"Today the concept of truth is viewed with suspicion, because truth is identified with violence. Over history there have, unfortunately, been episodes when people sought to defend the truth with violence. But they are two contrasting realities. Truth cannot be imposed with means other than itself! Truth can only come with its own light. Yet, we need truth. ... Without truth we are blind in the world, we have no path to follow. The great gift of Christ was that He enabled us to see the face of God".Pope Benedict xvi, February 24th, 2012

The Church is ecumenical, catholic, God-human, ageless, and it is therefore a blasphemy—an unpardonable blasphemy against Christ and against the Holy Ghost—to turn the Church into a national institution, to narrow her down to petty, transient, time-bound aspirations and ways of doing things. Her purpose is beyond nationality, ecumenical, all-embracing: to unite all men in Christ, all without exception to nation or race or social strata. - St Justin Popovitch

Wednesday 10 June 2009

Monastic Silence








God still speaks. It is not true that he only spoke thousands of years ago and that all we can do is repeat what we think he said then. The truth is that God communicates with us all the time, but we have forgotten how to listen. Every moment, every situation, every circumstance is used by God to communicate with us, but we are deaf. Our confusion within and the continual noise without both conspire to separate us from Him who speaks. If we wish to listen to God we must seek purity of heart within by living the Beatitudes and seek silence in our environment without. When both our interior and exterior are quiet, God will do the rest. This is the monastic quest: this is what is meant by "seeking God". If, towards the end of our quest, we arrive at passive contemplation, when we come to know by our own experience that God is the Agent and we are recipients, then, in the words of Augustine Baker, we will have discovered the presence of God in the heart, his continual activity within us that is beyond words and can only be known in silence.

1 comment:

Brian said...

Very nice reflection. I am at work so I can not see the video - will check it at home tonight.
I do a yearly retreat at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Mass.
It is a Trappist monastery. I love the charism. I also read your reflection below about Blesed Mother Teresa. I am an MC Co-worker in NJ, with the mc sisters.
They are beautiful - always doing something "Beautiful for God."

God bless...

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