In the past, and recently I have written about or alluded to silence and solitude – making space in our busy lives to go within ourselves, to the core of our being, to discover and ponder the presence of the Sacred who abides within each of us. This can be a difficult journey for many reasons: we may not want to encounter, discover or remember parts of ourselves or past that are painful or hurtful; we may not want to face the fact that we are not “perfect”; we may not be comfortable with times of silence and solitude given our society’s expectation of “doing” (Is there anything so wrong about "wasting time" in the quiet of our heart with the Holy One?). And yet, the Sacred Presence resides deep within us and desires for us to connect in relationship.
Many of us have grown up with very concrete instruction about prayer: what to pray, how to pray, with whom to pray and when to pray. We have learned and memorized the “official” prayers of our formal faith tradition. And for some of us this may be the only form of prayer we know. We may have been told that private recitation of “official” or written prayers and liturgical prayer with a worshiping community are the only kinds of prayer we need offer. Though both those prayer forms are valuable and meaningful, many of us experience times when praying in those ways becomes dry and lifeless for us. Experiencing little or no spiritual nourishment in prayer, wondering if our prayers are really meaningful or “doing” something, or noticing our experience of “formal” prayer has become merely the fulfillment of an obligation or expectation rather than our willing acceptance of an invitation to commune with God are all signs we have entered into a time of dryness where prayer is concerned. We should want to pray…not out of fear of retribution or because someone tells us we must pray. We may be tempted to view times of dryness in our prayer as a signal that something is wrong with the what, when, how and with whom we're praying but...periods of dryness in our prayer (no matter how short or long in duration) are really opportunities if we are able to use them as time to turn inward in silence and solitude.
Daring to go, taking the risk to enter into that place of silence and solitude may feel like standing at t
he edge of the deep, dark abyss of unknown. We may not want to step over the edge and take the plunge. And yet, by doing so freely, we open ourselves up to encountering the Sacred within. We come to discover, perhaps anew or for the first time, the ways the Sacred moves and dwells in us. We find rest for our weary selves and souls in communion with the Sacred One. Prayer in the midst of the abyss begins with silence and solitude – with our willingness to simply be. We may enter alone but can soon learn and feel and know we are not alone at all. It is here we discover the truest longings of our heart -our own deepest prayer. This is sacred space indeed! It is here we discover the truest longings of our heart -our own deepest prayer. It is here, through grace, where we find the courage to be profoundly open and honest. It is here where we find the strength and guidance to increase our ability to be in relationship with ourselves and others in community. And...it is here where we so intimately dwell in the presence of and experience the gentle touch of healing power and abiding Love of the One who created us. Peace on the Journey
Note: Pictured is a downward view of the Grand Canyon look-out point known as "The Abyss", taken on our trip there in 2007.
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