The spiritually mature affirm the value of hiddenness for those who wish to grow in love. To experience the hidden loving Companion Presence brings the greatest joy. This is the life of the simple ... the life of everyday. In the silent, hidden growth from acorn to oak can be seen the mystery and fulness of life. A seed is planted and forgotten. And suddenly one day the plant is there. Only in such hiddeness do miracles of growth occur. The same is true for the spiritual life. The Spirit plants the seed of divine union within the soul. For years this seed may be forgotten. Then one day, imperceptibly yet with determination, it will start to grow. Growth is such a quiet thing.
~ from APPROACHING THE SACRED by Susan Annette Muto
Monks call us to the simplicity of willing one thing: in a culture intent on a high standard of living, they insist on a high standard of life. Achievement versus grace: the exposure of the emptiness of fullness for the fullness of emptiness. The heart of this subversion is in planting within a person the appetite for silence. And once planted, once one tastes silence, and listening, and stopping, and being flooded by a Depth beyond all words ... once you do nothing, say nothing, think nothing, but just let yourself BE ... if you ever let this happen, it's all over for you. From then on, everything else seems insane.
~ from A SEASON IN THE DESERT by W. Paul Jones, thanks to H. A. Hull
