A Turn to the East

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antiphon, Awakening Hour, charity, de-cluttering, Macrina Wiederkehr, monastery, monks, seven sacred pauses, St. Basil the Great, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Author Macrina Wiederkehr calls the first of her Seven Sacred Pauses (a book for “living mindfully through the hours of the day”) the Awakening Hour. One of the antiphons for this hour sings, “To God belongs the East and the West; and wherever you turn, there is the face of God.” Originally from the Qur’an, this invitation to God’s presence has also made its way into our Wisdom School chants as a reminder that God waits for us at all times in all places.

Celebrated as the Saint of the Day is St. Basil the Great, of whom it is said, “What St. Benedict is to the West, Basil is to the monks of the East” as he established what was probably the first monastery in Asia Minor. His principles influence Eastern monasticism to this day. In addition, Basil faced many of the same problems that we see in modern society and he was especially mindful of the poor. I found the quote offered on the American Catholic website today to be quite apt. I share it as a reminder for all of us who are in the process of de-cluttering and as an indicator of where we might turn to find the face of God.

The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked; the shoes that you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot; the money you keep locked away is the money of the poor; the acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mountain of God

Tags

Benedictine, chanting, dwelling place of God, monastery, monks, psalm 42, silence, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, thirst

On this morning of “return” to this blogging practice, I feel as if the lectionary choice of Psalm 42 was chosen just for me. As the hind longs for running streams,  the psalmist sings, so my soul longs for you, O God. When shall I go and behold the face of God? Send forth your light and your fidelity; they shall lead me on and bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling place.

I spent the past four days on a high mountain in the hills of California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, at a Benedictine monastery that was as representative as any place I can imagine of the dwelling place of God. Three times a day our group (12 people) joined the monks to chant the psalms and prayers of the liturgy of the hours, gathered again for Eucharist and twice a day for 90 minutes of deep conversation about our desire and willingness to follow God’s Spirit in the living of our lives. Outside of those times we were in total silence and solitude, taking our meals in our “cells” and basking in the beauty that is God’s glorious work of creation. Speaking of cells, there was no cell phone coverage or internet access on the mountain – only a land phone for emergencies. We were totally in God’s hands and at God’s disposal.

My gratitude for the experience of time on God’s holy mountain is profound. My renewed sense that I can carry “the inner mountain” of God’s presence anywhere I find myself if I am willing to fuel that ability by a consistent practice of silence is the hope with which I come home. I will, I think, make a sign for my bedroom door that I will see as I exit each morning to remind me (lest I forget) that athirst is my soul for God, the living God! (Ps. 42:3a)