Mtr Beth Clarke

For God alone my soul in silence waits; truly, my hope is in him.

—Psalm 62

Columba of Iona, Monastic, 567

Dear friends in Christ,

Stop. Pause. Take a breath. 

Several years ago, I was in Santa Barbara, and I had a complicated ethical dilemma on my heart. I was about halfway through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius with my spiritual director, and I decided to put what I had learned about silent prayer and visualization towards solving my problem.

On a warm day, I ventured to the beach with a chair, a bottle of water, and some snacks. I plopped down, closed my eyes, and I imagined myself talking to Jesus. I laid my troubles before Him (as if He did not already know), and I asked for insight. In my mind’s eye, I told Jesus that I was not leaving that beach without an answer.

So, I sat. No music, no phone, no talking. I sat for hours.

Morning gave way to afternoon, waves crashed, surfers surfed, and children built sand castles. The only sound I made was shifting in my chair, some snacking, and breathing in and out. In and out.

After a couple of hours, I noticed how little time I had really spent paying attention to my own miraculous breath. The longer I sat, the more I noticed my breathing matched the rhythm of the waves.

In and out, in and out.

I felt I was giving my soul space to wait for God in silence. Eventually, a peace washed over me, and my question found an answer.

Today is the feast day of Columba of Iona, the founder of a contemplative monastic community in Scotland. Together with the Psalmist, Columba reminds us that in silence we make space to bear our souls before God and discern how the Spirit may be at work in our lives.

While music, conversation, and communal prayer also open such spaces, we often neglect silence, especially in our fast-paced, noisy lives.

With the Psalmist and by Columba, I invite us today, if only for a moment, to put our phones down, turn off the TV, stop talking, and just breathe. I invite us to sit in stillness with our breath and to listen for how God may be calling us.

In such a sacred pause, who knows what insights await us? 

Yours in Christ,

—Mtr Beth