To Taste Peace: A Reflection

What is it like to taste peace? I know it may sound like a weird question but Thomas Merton invited me to contemplate that question in his journal entry from January 3rd and 4th, 1968.

Evening—new moon—snow hard crackling and squealing under my rubber boots. The dark pines over the hermitage. The graceful black fans and branches of the tall oaks between my field and the monastery. I said Compline and looked at the cold valley and tasted its peace. Who is entitled to such peace? I don’t know. But I would be foolish to leave it for no reason. — January 3 and 4, 1968 (The Other Side of the Mountain: The End of the Journey)

Tonight I stepped out onto our deck on the first night that I was able to see Sister Moon this year. Merton’s description of the evening moon and saying Compline at his hermitage is such a beautiful and sensory experience. Being in the presence of Sister Moon was indeed one of those moments of peace.

This taste of peace took me back to the nighttime walks in the Rocky Mountains where we lived for five years. How many times (day or night) did Denise and I simply take in the breathtaking beauty of this sacred space.

The experience we had simply being in the presence of the bull moose pictured above defied description. A sacred and holy moment that I can revisit by sitting in silence and closing my eyes. We could literally taste the peace of that moment.

Sister Moon, Brother Moose, and the invitation to simply be and embrace the moment… what a gift from our Creator. Perhaps Thomas is inviting me to spend more time embracing and tasting the peace that surrounds me. It is an invitation to “Be Still” in the present moment.

The word that chose me for 2022 is Sabbath. Sabbath… a sacred pause… sacred rest… where one can, if their spirit is open to it, taste the peace which is offered to us by our Creator. I invite you, dear reader, to take such moments as a holy invitation to taste the goodness and peace that is right in front of you.