On Being a Contemplative
One of the things I love about EuPete's books is the people he quotes. Here's one I read in Eat This Book that just made my day:
"I have come to believe that the true mystics...are not those who contemplate holiness in isolation, reaching godlike illumination in serene silence, but those who manage to find God in a life filled with noise, the demands of other people and relentless daily duties that can consume the self. They may be young parents juggling child-rearing and making a living...If they are wise, they treasure the rare moments of solitude and silence that come their way, and use them not to escape, to distract themselves with television and the like. Instead, they listen for a sign of God's presence and open their hearts toward prayer." - Kathleen Norris, The Quotidian Mysteries
"I have come to believe that the true mystics...are not those who contemplate holiness in isolation, reaching godlike illumination in serene silence, but those who manage to find God in a life filled with noise, the demands of other people and relentless daily duties that can consume the self. They may be young parents juggling child-rearing and making a living...If they are wise, they treasure the rare moments of solitude and silence that come their way, and use them not to escape, to distract themselves with television and the like. Instead, they listen for a sign of God's presence and open their hearts toward prayer." - Kathleen Norris, The Quotidian Mysteries
posted by Mike Bishop at 8:23 PM
2 Comments:
thanks for that mike...a much needed word for myself and chaundra as our life is filled with the noise and responsibility of three children now...amber was right,
utterly overwhelmed but hopeful...
peace to you
steven
I hear ya. Treasured solitude moment: lying on the stinky floor at the gym in a pool of my own sweat. The sun was starting to rise and the clouds were turning bright pink through the window. 80's music being pumped in through the sound system. Before I know it, I am talking to God about the things he's made. Saying I am sorry for not noticing. Starting to cry because my flesh is so whine-y. For some reason I thought about how they put steel rods in people's legs to make them heal right, after an accident. I asked him to put a steel rod in my soul, to hold me up when I start feeling sorry for myself. I think he was there with me, even the one who gave me the idea to make such a strange request.
Then I went home to do some mystic laundry.
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