Whether your destiny is glory or disgrace, Purify yourself of hatre and love of self. Polish your mirror, and that sublime Beauty From the regions of mystery Will flame out in your heart As it did for the saints and prophets. Then, with your heart on fire with that Splendor The secret of the Beloved will no longer be hidden.
~ by Jami in PERFUME OF THE DESERT edited by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut
The silence that is experienced in being quiet and alone is not the deepest and most satisfying silence to be had. The heart's desire is for the Eternal, a level of silence that is penetrating in its power to draw forth the secret communication of the soul. Here, we discover that silence speaks and we learn how poor we are when we do not abide in this dimension. In this great silence, our being finds its roots in God, is nurtured inwardly, and gradually expands into a form of life that is itself eternal.
~ Romeo J. Bonsaint in "Spiritual Life" Summer, 2004
I have over the years dismissed simple faith, viewing it as either ignorant or stagnant. Only lately have I begun to recognize a profound quality of simple faith and the dynamism and struggle involved. It is easy to complicate one's faith. The real challenge is to maintain faith in all its simplicity! Simple faith clearly is a leap across the chasm of unanswered questions. That is the beauty of it.
~ from "The Gift of Simple Faith" by Richard B. Patterson in Spiritual Life, Spring '98
