Sunday, February 27, 2011

Our search for the holy

Artist: Anna Munthe-Norstedt

I really like the spiritual writings of Macrina Wiederkehr. Here's a brief passage from her book, Seasons of Your Heart:
In our search for the holy, there are times when our restless preparations smother the very truth for which are searching. We decorate our rooms and make elaborate preparations for our prayer, when a single flower and a moment of waiting are all we need to meet the One Who Comes.
You know, many people are resistant to the idea of spending some time in meditation each day. I think it is because they believe the dedicated time needs to be long. I start meditation students off with literally one minute of giving relaxed attention to something beautiful. Yes, we do gradually build up to longer sittings but if one minute with a single flower each day is all a person does, it will be very beneficial.

I also really like Wiederkehr's name for the Divine here: the One Who Comes. It seems to me that this name is a great respecter of Mystery as well as a reminder that there is so much that we just don't know or understand.
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