Doorway One: Deep Stillness, Day 1

I will keep still and wait like the night with starry vigil and its head bent low with patience...The morning will surely come, The darkness will vanish...

~Rabindranath Tagore

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation;

for you I wait all day long.

~ Psalm 25:1, 4-5 NRSV

Welcome to our Advent Retreat. We are grateful for your participation and hold you in prayer as we journey together through advent. Our theme for 2021 is “Doorways of Invitation”. Each week we will offer a short reflection on Sunday introducing the topic, a spiritual practice or art suggestion on Tuesday, and a blessing on Thursday. The doorways of our hearts symbolize the invisible passageways into the hidden interior spaces within our souls. Opening the doors to the sanctuary of our souls allows us to welcome the Divine to grow more fully within us. For some cultures, the beginning of advent is symbolized by a cleansing ritual of sweeping the dirt and junk from their homes and onto the street. Households then gather around their bonfires to rid all the evil from their homes and make space for the Christ child. Perhaps this ritual can challenge us to sweep out the chambers of our hearts and make space for the Holy One to grow in us this advent season.

The invitation for week one is “Deep Stillness”. Winter is a time when the land is frozen, bare trees are exposed to the elements, ice covers ponds, and animals are hibernating in their protective homes. Light is subdued and the darkness increases over the earth. All of life waits in silence! All creation needs some time to pause, be still, and create space for renewal. As part of creation, we too, need time to slow down, become still and lift up our souls to God for rest, renewal and growth.

It is hard to slow down and be still when we are bombarded with shopping and socializing. There is so much noise and clutter all around us. External silence is almost impossible during advent; however, inner silence is possible if we are intentional about creating space for reflection and receptivity. Joyce Rupp points out that there is a difference between silence and stillness. Silence relates to the external environment--an absence of sound or a lessening of it---while stillness has to do with our internal environment. Stillness involves harmony with our body, soul and spirit within our inner being.

Nature is often a wonderful spiritual teacher. A great example of pure stillness is the blue heron standing at the river's edge. Loud noises can be all around it, but the heron remains attentive and focused on its task. It listens and looks deeply into the water for any movement. Pause a moment to allow the Great Blue Heron to teach you about stillness. Be still and wait.

Video: Great Blue Heron

Song: Still, my soul, be still

Reflection questions:

1. What chambers of your heart need cleansing to make space for the Holy One.

2. How do you experience the difference between silence and stillness?

3. How might you practice stillness during this season of Advent?

4. What have you learned from the Great Blue Heron about stillness that might help you quiet your soul, listen and wait?

Prayer

For the quietness within

with which I hear You speak--

not audibly so much as

inner knowing,

a silent word reassuring me

of Your presence,

guiding, comforting,

quieting my soul to hear,

to heed, to follow

your leading in my life--

unending inhalation

of Your inaudible breath.

~Mary Harwell Sayler

Resources

Rupp, J. & Wiederkehr, M. (2005). The Circle of Life. Notre Dame, IN: Sorin Books

Valters Paintner, C. (2019). Sacred Time. Notre Dame, IN: Sorin Books