Like Fish Searching for Water

About two years ago I discovered a contemporary writer on monasticism, Christine Valters Paintner, who now lives in Ireland and has established a virtual online global monastery, Abbey of the Arts. Every day I receive an e-mail with a short reflection from Christine. Today, the message was this:

"For John of the Cross the spiritual life is not about getting closer to God. Instead it is a journey of consciousness. We realize union with God, we don't acquire it or achieve it. It is something we already possess but we need to let go of everything that keeps us from seeing this reality. The dark night journey essentially is about stripping away all of our false idols and securities so that we might come to a more profound realization of the love that already dwells within us."

As Robert Peterson noted in his book Answers Within, “Some spend their whole lives searching for meaning, love, or God…. But the meaning, love, and God they search for pervade everything. They are like fish searching for the water that surrounds them.”

Christine’s reflection makes me think of St. Martin of Tours, whose feast we celebrate today. He wanted nothing more but to live a quiet life of prayer in the monastery he founded, but was made bishop by the general acclaim of the people. By all accounts he was an excellent bishop, likely because he had been able to strip away his false idols and securities and had a profound realization of his union with God. A current example of such a person is Pope Francis, who prioritizes prayer and chooses to live simply despite the luxuries available to him. It is heartening to see the witness of such leaders who inspire us with their authenticity and humility.

I came to the monastery with the hope that it would be a good environment for stripping away my false idols and securities. Of course, you bring yourself wherever you go, so it’s an ongoing and lifelong process, but it is certainly helpful to have prayer built into the day and to have the support and example of others in the community who are also on a journey of consciousness. As the stories of St. Martin and Pope Francis illustrate, the profound realization of the love that already dwells within us leads to a pouring out of that love in a life of service. In such a life, the Sisters are showing me, monastic companions are a true blessing.