The Harried Mystic

At the moment I looked at it, the bench outside the monastery was empty. Morning fog was just beginning to burn off.

How many prayerful souls sat quietly there? How many moments of deep sharing did the bench support?

Fog may obscure the view while lending a magical backdrop to the mystery of the empty bench.

When hearts open and prayer charges the air with loving presence, such a place is consecrated forever. I imagine that many sisters and brothers brought their hearts and wonders and trials to this place. Some may still be among us; many others are enveloped in the fog.

Women and men may forget, but such places retain eternal traces of those who came before. Every step we take around such places is a journey through time.

The grand illusion is that the “then” is gone and only the “ here” is real. Deep listening in stillness collapses time and space and our true identities as children of the stars can be felt.

These are moments of Christ and among the gifts of the Holy Spirit if we can put aside our expectations and all that we think we know.

This is the blessing of “ Unknowing”.

© The Harried Mystic, 2020 and Br. Anton, TSSF. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.