The Profound Quiet of Mystery

Wednesday Wisdom. The Profound Quiet of Mystery.

I continue to allow the theme of quietness to reveal itself to me this month. What I am discovering is that quietness is a way of dwelling in my heart. It is not always being physically quiet, or silent, but it is a way of opening my heart. The more I invite quietness into my daily life, the more room I am finding for encountering the Holy.

There is such a profound quietness to mystery. We experience it when we look at the shimmering ocean, stand in a grove of Redwood trees, look into the smiling eyes of a child.  We touch it as we contemplate the depth of the Cross, the generosity of the outpouring of God’s love, and the deepening capacity in our hearts to respond with love.

Mystery deepens us.

And as mystery deepens us, we find ourselves living with a deeper quietness inside of ourselves. We hear certain voices of negativity fading; we notice old habits wanting to be free; we discover a voice of love emerging. We hear God reminding us–My love becomes Your love.

One way to open ourselves up more to mystery is to practice the art of gazing. I like Ilia Delio’s description of gazing in her book, Clare of Assisi: A Heart Full of Love. She states:

“Gazing is not simply physical sight like other physical senses that help situate us in an environment. Rather, gazing is of the heart, by which the heart opens it arms, so to speak, to allow the Spirit of God’s love to enter.”

Gazing is of the heart. It invites us to enter into the quietness of mystery. It invite us to receive what we encounter, through the heart of mystery.

Gazing happens with soft, loving eyes, and an open and loving heart. Let us gaze on what is holy, what is pure mystery–the Cross, the ocean, the love we share with a spouse or child, our bodies. As we gaze on the mystery of love, we allow a quietness to deepen within us, and allow our capacity to love to deepen within us.

Practice Gazing….