Listen up:
The holy fathers instruct us that God is not to be found in the storm or the noise of this life, but in stillness by awareness of our thoughts and the unceasing remembrance of Christ in our minds. When we fill that sacred space, where God should abide, with material things, worldly cares, anxieties, and distractions including television, music, or idle conversation, God’s gentle presence is masked so that we are no longer able to perceive Him working within us. If we desire to quell bad thoughts, habitual sin, we must strive after this peace and be still.The world offers us distractions that temporarily anesthetize the mind and deaden the nous all the while keeping God’s presence distant from us. As Saint Seraphim of Sarov told his spiritual children, “Acquire a peaceful spirit, and around you thousands will be saved. Where there is God, there is no evil. Everything coming from God is peaceful, healthy and leads a person to the judgment of his own imperfections and humility.”
Peace, be still,
LSP
Here in the Arizona highlands, we had an electrical storm last night. I turned out all of the lights and sat on the (covered) deck as rain lashed and lightning forked across the sky. It was a dramatic show that lasted a couple of hours. It's been dry here. People have been praying for rain to soak the parched land and it came with a reminder of how small we truly are.
ReplyDeleteLessons in humility come to us all of the time.
Yes, we are but tiny specks on the earth. Peace and humility, and quiet are good.
ReplyDeleteLL, I always stand out on the front porch when the storms unleash their fury. And what are we compared to that.
ReplyDeleteSt. Augustine has a resoundingly simple solution to the spiritual equation. Viz, when the tempest threatens to overwhelm, wake Christ up! And he, as on the sea and to the possessed demoniac, restores peace and sanity.
Simple, of course, but not easy.
Stillness in the storm, NFO. There's wisdom in that, imo, not that I'm good at at it...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful words and thoughts, Parson. God's majesty is all around us. I've felt it out on the open ocean, out on the wind-swept high plains, and deep in the woods and mountains. All we have to do is turn off the distractions we impose on ourselves, and there He is.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dr. I was struck by it, wisdom, and an antidote to the storms we face and create within us.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.