Liberation from Illusions

Intense old man, away in the cellar dark

Treasure a tiny space now and then

without thoughts and consolations.

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John of the Cross, 16th century Spanish Carmelite was perceived as a threat by his religious brothers. They kidnapped, imprisoned, and isolated him in a dark closet for nearly a year. The idols in which he had cast his happiness and spiritual consolations from a lifetime of religious devotion abandoned him. Through this crucible of poverty, he had nothing to offer but his consent and trust – in God Alone.

He composes (The Dark Night) in which one is lost, (The Spiritual Canticle) abandoned by a beloved, and (The Living Flame of Love) a Love which burns. John of the Cross writes:

“The Father spoke one word from all eternity and he spoke it in silence, and it is in this silence that we hear it.”

What is this silence?

Author Robert Sardello in “Silence, The Mystery of Wholeness,” writes,

“Silence was here before anything else, and it envelops everything else. Silence is prior to sound, not the cessation of sound, it is already present.

There is Sacred Silence before human consciousness. Before birth and after death. And sacrament in the Silence of this present moment.

I know this “formless” Silence in my innermost being, shared only with the Divine Other, my Beloved. It is where I am known and not alone.

Contemplative prayer is silence, …unbearable to the “outer man,” and like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy: …accepted only in humility and poverty. (CCC2709-2724)

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I set aside time in my own spiritual cellar. I stand in orans, gently crossing my forehead, “Lord, cleanse my thoughts.” Cross my eyes, “Lord, clarify my sight.” Cross my ears, “Lord, teach me to hear.” I cross my lips, “Lord, cleanse my words.” Finally, cross my heart with both hands, “Lord, heal my heart.”

I sit and recite a personalized version of 1 Corinthians 2:12. “I have not received the spirit of the world but the spirit that is from God, so that I may understand the things freely given me by God.”  I am now ready.

I tap my singing bowl marking the beginning of twenty minutes of contemplative silence.  I intend to sit in silence, consenting to Divine Presence and action in my life. No expectations, …only trust.

I soon begin daydreaming. And by a sacred word, I interrupt mindless chatter and return, …again, …and again. A hundred times, …returning to consent in Silence.

After twenty minutes, my timer sounds. I end with Isaiah, “By waiting and by calm I shall be saved, in quiet and in trust my strength lies.”  I gently open my eyes.

I ask God to keep me aware of Divine Presence. I get up and go about my day.

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Christian contemplative prayer is desert spirituality traced to the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the 4th century.

It is a spiritual practice of relinquishing (for a time) our usual capacities of sensing, knowing, and acting. It is an intentional act of humility, poverty, and Eucharistic sacrifice – of laying down the “self” we think we are.

In Sacred Silence, …an interior clearing takes place – making room for new life, not only for oneself but for others as well. I am grateful for the discovery.

As we enter this Lenten journey with Jesus in the desert, may you hear the Word in Silence.

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ps. To learn more, google or youtube: Fr. Keating/ Centering Prayer.