In manus tuas, Pater
Commendo spiritum meum
Into your arms, Father
I commend my spirit
(Listen)
Tag Archives: contemplative
Retreating – Part 2
There’s just something about being surrounded by natural beauty that calms my mind and body. On this visit to Jamberoo I was in luck because I got a room with a view. Consequently, during the week I spent a lot of time staring out the window, watching the kookaburras chatter, an echidna forage, and the light play against the giant Moreton Bay fig that patiently stood guard.
But as lovely as the view is, sooner or later I was compelled to explore it, and thankfully there was an abundance of wild and manicured delights to see. Being autumn, the last flourishes of flora were abound, and a walk through the rainforest that encircled the paddock provided my camera with many interesting textural details to capture.
Retreating – Part 1
Easter week. A time to slow down in a quiet place, to take stock, to regroup, to re-energise. Most of all, it is a time to enjoy the simple things, like taking a walk along a tree-lined road to admire the change in seasons.
When is rest not rest?
When is a holiday not a holiday? When is rest not really rest?
After spending two weeks off work, hanging out at home, you would think that I was completely rested. But I wasn’t as rested as I thought, not compared to spending a weekend at Jamberoo Abbey. Yes, this is the very same place that was featured on Compass in the last few weeks. I’ve actually been coming there regularly for a few years now after one of my good friends introduced me to the place, and if you watched the series, you’ll know that it’s a very restful, very peaceful place.
Life there has a rhythm all of its own, like one long meditation really, with the regular prayers at the chapel, and walking the same stretch of road countless times to the chapel. When there isn’t much distraction, little noise (no TV, left my mp3 player at home), you start to notice your surroundings more, and the beauty of the place is that the surroundings are wonderful.
Although I’ve been there several times, this time around it was very, very weird at first. I guess that kind of happens after you see a place you are familiar with on TV. I liked the programme, and I thought it gave an accurate picture of what life is like there, but it’s not my reality of the place. It took me awhile to look past what the programme showed and see the place for what it is again.
It took a whole 24 hours for me to settle in, to calm my mind down (and believe me it was in a really chatty, hyper mood), to be still in the silence. That’s really, really hard to do, and it was probably a good thing that I was on a Christian meditation retreat since it helped me to settle down even more. So by the time Sr. Magdalen led a beautiful chant on Sunday morning I was completely at ease. I spent the last hour of my stay just sitting on the verandah outside my room, listening to the birds, gazing out at this view.
Is it possible?
It has been a rather contemplative week this week.
I received the latest and last open letter from Brother Roger, the founder of Taizé who died last year in tragic circumstances. But he was a man who knew what he was about:
“What is this peace that God gives? It is first of all an inner peace, a peace of the heart. This peace enables us to look at the world with hope, even though it is often torn apart by violence and conflicts.”
Yes, he was courageous in that he wanted world peace, but his method was a humble and peaceful one, encouraging people from different denominations to meet at the grass roots, spend time with each other, pray together, so that it may inspire them to utilise this spirit of togetherness in their own lives.
“Seeking reconciliation and peace involves a struggle within oneself. It does not mean taking the line of least resistance. Nothing lasting is created when things are too easy. The spirit of communion is not gullible. It causes the heart to become more encompassing…”
Does it work? Yes, I think it does. It is not the quickest of methods but anyone who has ever come in contact with Taizé would not soon forget it.
Gold
Nothing to do with the Winter Olympics. Last year I had one of those calendars with a different quote for every day. Mine was an eastern philosophy one that threw up all sorts of interesting contemplations. I was looking at my pile of favourites for the year (the ones that I didn’t throw away) and this one was at the top:
Although gold dust is precious, when it gets in your eyes it obstructs your vision – His-tang
An apt thought that can be applied to all sorts of familiar situations…
Frontline
Your life is put into perspective when a friend packs up their bags and heads to the back of Sudan as a volunteer a couple of years. That’s what my friend Ruth has just done, volunteering with Catholic missions in Uganda, a short hop away to the Sudanese border. Meeting people who have escaped from Sudan, or really any place of war, is an eye-opening experience. Through my work over the years with JCA I’ve listened to a few people tell their stories – how they lost family members, lived in refugee camps and arrived in Australia with no more than a few garbage bags full of clothes, but they are the lucky ones who got to Australia. What would it be like to be at the frontline as Ruth is? I wait with great anticipation for her future posts.
Static and Silence 