We notice the fire within, a depth beckoning us to commit to life's transformative practice of attending to its embers. Acknowledging this soul-starvation, we gain insight into the essence of existence. The essential, gifted to us through this quiet oneness, never imposes itself, while the unessential constantly clamors for our attention. We ponder, "How can I avoid losing myself in daily complexities, severing my connectedness with this depth, this fire, which alone is ultimately real?" Thomas Merton reminds us it beats in our very blood, whether we wish it or not. We cannot will these insights, yet we can freely choose a stance of least resistance, allowing the fire we cannot create to overtake us.
This is our daily rendezvous, personal and intimate. We seek those acts, people, services, creative unfoldings, and moments when something is asked of us. In the monastery, life centered on protecting from distraction, enabling us to experience this depth. But in our world, we must cultivate a contemplative heart. We vow: I will not cynically dismiss. I will not betray my awakened heart. In my most childlike hour, the pain's poignancy, a glance's sweetness, a flower's scent – I was graced by that which transcends and permeates every moment. Thus, we set aside quiet availability to this way of being. We stay present, patient, calm, receptively open. After each rendezvous with the deeper place, we ask for grace not to sever that delicate thread as we traverse our day. Though the thread breaks on our end, it never severs from the Divine.
We do not dwell in monasteries but in this world. Contemplative programs, daily meditations, centering prayer – these help us seek the thread of sensitivity to such insights and choose to live accordingly. An unseen obediential fidelity mattering more than all else. We strive to live with integrity, for it reshapes how we perceive others. Every person an infinitely loved, broken soul in a fleeting, often unfair, gorgeous, unexplainable world.
