Seeing No One, but being Seen
I decided to walk around the grounds today. I took a bunch of pictures and had a great time. Most memorable was the cemetery filled with cross markers on the graves of all of the monk brothers who have died here at Subiaco Abbey. I really enjoyed the architecture and the art. The stained glass is just magnificent. There is statuary all over the grounds and little grottos here and there for prayer.
Overwhelmingly as I walked around I got the feeling that I was being watched. I mean there are 40 or 50 monks around, and although I don’t see anyone, I am sure they are aware of me as I plod around through their home. Inside the halls of the monastery, every footsteps echoes. When you sniff inside of the Church it is like you are wearing a microphone. If I lived here I would have to learn to be quieter.
I have often heard that saying, that the silence was deafening. I don’t guess I really understood that until this week. During the afternoons when I would work along in my room, I would hear everything: the academy students outside, the water in the pipes, even my own breathing.
I found it easier to listen to God in this kind of quiet. It was also interesting to hear what my own heart had to say after a few days of my mouth not speaking. What does my heart say in the quiet? I know what I want it to say. Even in the stillness, when there is no one around to hear, I want my heart to brim with praises to my Father. Occasionally this week, I have heard my own heart, praise God, for no other reason except for the love that fills it.
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