In the past several community life meetings at the Mount, we
have been discussing how to balance our needs for quiet spaces and privacy with
our desire to be hospitable to our guests. This holy tension feels very
familiar to me, because we grappled with the same issue when I was on the staff
at Shantivanam House of Prayer. However, I believe it is a concern of all
Christians who recognize the call to serve and yet need time for personal
prayer and re-creation. Although Jesus called us to serve one another, he also
showed us how to stay healthy while doing so, for he himself sought solitude at
times and enjoyed getaways to Bethany to be with his friends.
My reflection about reconciling the pull of relationship and
the desire for solitude led me to write the following poem. As you will see,
God has the final say in the matter.
Quantum
Theology
Quarks demonstrate in a compelling and exquisite way
that life in our universe thrives not on isolationism
but on the capacity to relate.—Diamuid O'Murchu
All I want to do is live by myself
in a cabin in the woods
in exquisite silence,
yet the subatomic particles
that make up my body
and the entire universe
insist on grouping
in twos and threes,
echoing the Creator
whose essence is
revealed in relationship,
so like the desert fathers
and mothers I resign myself
to living in community—
but at least we have a lake
house, a retreat for
the would-be hermits
whose dreams of solitude
are dashed by quantum
physics and a God who loves.
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