The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A good day of ministry
A time of preparation for a funeral
A time of study for Sunday worship
Some time spent in your Creation
Some time spent with Ignatius
Some time spent with Scripture
A time of worship and Communion
Time to simply Be Still
For these and all gifts, I thank you, Lord
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
In your mercy, hear this humble prayer
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
Time… society says we can lose it
We can waste it
We can borrow it
Society also says that time is money
In the Abbey of the Arts course, Jubilee Year, Christine Valters Paintner, our Abbess says: In sacred time, we step out of the madness of our lives and choose to reflect, linger, to savor. We gain new perspective here… The rising and the setting of the sun, the expansion and contraction of the moon, the ripening and releasing of the seasons, these all mark a different quality of time and invite us into a deepened and renewed way of being.
Since returning from our Ignatian Silent Retreat in Mobile, I have been much more conscious of my own understanding and/or misunderstanding of time. I have also become more keenly aware of the constant bombardment of noise in the world and in my own life.
It is a Monday and I am in the office. Working and preparing for the week and the Sunday ahead, I am conscious of the busyness of it all. Being fortunate enough to have some flexibility, I went down to our outdoor Chapel to pray and to simply Be Still.
Taking time to simply Be Still was an integral part of the Silent Retreat. I am finding more and more in the ministry here that such time is essential. This time is not a task to be accomplished or a checklist item to be completed. It is something that I need to experience and embrace. Perhaps it is because I am older that I know this and take the time to simply be.
As I sat in the Chapel, I received a wonderful gift! Three Mule Deer Bucks and two juvenile Bull Elk were grazing below the chapel along the creek. Time literally stood still as I stood with them. They reminded me once more that to simply Be Still and Breathe is a blessing and a necessity.
This is indeed Sacred Time which gives life and peace…
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
Lord, you spoke to me this morning
You spoke not through a mighty wind
Not through earthquake or fire
You spoke rather through the sheer silence
You spoke to me in the midst of your Creation
You spoke to me through the music of dear friends
Thank you, Lord, for the wonders of this day
Now, as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
Scripture Reading – 1 Kings 19:1-15a
Sermon – Listening in Turbulent Times
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It was a day of rain, rest, and reflection
It was a time to Be Still in God’s presence
It was also a time for wonderful fellowship and music
It was a fine to simply be
For the gift of silence and reflection, I thank you, Lord
For the gift of friendship, I thank you, Lord
Now, as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
For four nights and three days we were on a Silent Retreat at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. The only time silence was broken was to speak with a Spiritual Director. The silence and time for reflection was what I needed and God did indeed speak through the silence with a gentle whisper.
As I wandered about the campus with my iPhone camera in hand, it was pretty amazing. The songs of the birds were ever present and the breeze blowing was as well. As I read a biography of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, he came alive to me. As I immersed myself in Scripture in the Ignatian way, it came alive to me. It was truly a time of reflection and restoration.
This was far different from the “retreat” which Elijah found himself in the midst of. He had retreated to a cave in fear for his life. In the contest between Elijah and the Prophets of Ba’al, God had acted in a mighty way as the false prophets were defeated. He ordered the false prophets to be killed and in doing that he ticked off (a mild choice of words, I must admit) King Ahab and Queen Jezebel! Jezebel was out for blood and wanted Elijah to be hunted down and brought before her so that she could order his death.
So, in an instant so to speak, Elijah went from being the victorious prophet of the one true God to being on the run. As Elijah went into hiding in the wilderness, he collapsed underneath a broom tree. He was pretty much ready to call it quits and was upset with God. Yet God is patient with him and sends an angel to feed and encourage him.
Despite the miraculous interventions by God, Elijah has pretty much given up. He ended up in a cave feeling sorry for himself and he quickly forgot God’s mighty and miraculous acts. It was at that point that Elijah hit bottom.
I might not be able to relate to the intensity of what Elijah was facing, but I have found myself in times of deep distress and turmoil. At times like that, it is hard for me to sense God’s presence, let alone hear God’s voice. At times like that, I want to hide in a cave and avoid the world. Yet, it is at times like that, when I am the most vulnerable, that God speaks and I actually listen!
Elijah had been used to seeing and experiencing the mighty acts of God. Did he expect God to speak to him in a mighty way? As he stood at the entrance to the cave, did he expect to hear God in the Mighty Wind? Did he expect to hear God in the earthquake or fire? Perhaps he did. However, that was not how God chose to speak to the prophet. God spoke to Elijah in the midst of sheer silence, or as other translations say, a still small voice or a gentle whisper.
One of the things that I learned over the course of the Ignatian Silent Retreat was how God can and does speak in the silence. Especially in times of difficulty, exhaustion, or chaos, we need to slow down and simply Be Still.
Saint Ignatius reminded me over the course of the retreat how important it is to Be Still and to be Silent. It is at times like that when we are the most vulnerable and the most open to hearing God’s gentle whisper as God calls us to live, love, and serve.
In the words of Samuel, may we Be Still and simply say Speak Lord, your Servant is listening.
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It has been a quite a day, Lord!
A day of reflection
A day of ministry
A day of walking through the Valley of the Shadows
A day of music with a very dear brother
A day of meeting new soul sisters and friends
As we all seek to serve you Lord
As we all seek to share your love
As we all seek to live lives of grace
As we all seek to be instruments of your peace
In your mercy, Lord
Hear our humble prayer
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
“Rather than being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the journey ahead, like Moses, we need to be reminded that we are already on sacred ground. All we need to do to begin the journey is to remove our sandals in recognition that where we stand is already holy.”
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, The Soul’s Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Practices for Seeking the Sacred
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A long yet meaning-filled day
Hospital calls and office calls
Planning and Visioning
An evening walk with my sweetheart
The rain has fallen off and on
The temperatures are chilly
The warmth in my heart is real
For these and all of your gifts
I thank you, Lord
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A day of traveling and a graveside service
An opportunity to walk and simply be
Time for dinner and fellowship with good friends
An evening performance by two other dear friends
Walking with my sweetheart
Thank you Lord, for the blessings of this day
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
