Friday, November 27, 2009

Morning meditation - followed by a great heron

"This morning, before Prime, in the early morning sky, three antiquated monoplanes flew over the monastery with much noise, followed by a great heron."

Thomas Merton

And so it goes with technology capturing our attention in noisy and titillating ways and we miss the delights of our own souls.

Where is your great heron? Is it off the ground soaring or still in the nest? And if it is off the ground where is it taking you? What are the sights? What is the grace?

It is easier to react to external technology than take a deep breath, step back, and look within. Are we afraid of what we will experience? The lust, the greed, the hatred, the envy, the desire to dominate overwhelm us and we wonder why the world is in the shape it is in. We need to look no further than our own soul.

1 comment:

  1. Dave,
    This post is so moving, so concise and arresting that it moved me to respond. I, and many, have sensed this elusive 'heron' but I have never captured it. And my 'soul' is likewise elusive and, without entering the monastary like Merton to pursue it, is still undefined. We continue the search; thank you for leading the way.

    ReplyDelete

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