Of all the things we might list to define a devotional relationship with the God of the universe, there is one critical aspect which often goes begging.
We know we should pray, and we do. We know that gratitude is an integral part of our “Divine Office” as well as a boon to our own well-being. We know we must read the Scriptures, and further, we study to show ourselves approved, endeavoring to implement what is read.
We do well when we incorporate continual, daily cleansing of our souls through repentance, and if we meditate upon the Lord and His myriad majestic attributes, we will profit through the experience. But we typically leave our closets a few minutes too soon.
This overlooked practice is stillness, and it has a companion that we will examine a few days from now. Until we hear about this practice and give it a try, it is difficult to imagine the essential nature of STILLNESS, of remaining before God for no reason except to be with Him and admire His invisible loveliness. This “invisible loveliness” incorporates all His wonderful nature, and in stillness, we prize and enjoy it for a few moments without reference to our own benefit or really to ourselves in any way. That is not to say there is no benefit to us! Stillness may be the greatest of all.
In stillness, we actively esteem all about Him that we can neither see nor hold nor even name. For instance, if we praise His generosity or His compassion or His mighty power, we must reference the times when we have received bounty, kindness, and deliverance. Those things we certainly do honor and praise during our worship, but in stillness we sit with Him, we wait upon Him, rather like a maiden’s heart might beat faster at the very sound of the voice of the one whom her soul loves. The anticipation of his nearness is as invigorating to her as the knowledge that he is near. She is not anticipating anything he may bring or do – her desire is for him.
If, in the next moment, he comes through the door and brings with him a gift, a bouquet, an invitation to dinner, she could affirm that whatever he offers cannot begin to measure up to the fullness of joy she experienced before she ever saw his face.
This is Cor Unum. We are here . . . because we want Him. We seek His face more industriously than His hand. We know that if we touch the hem of His garment, He will stop even in His forward and momentous path and give to us, do for us, all that we need, but we must have more even than this. We MUST HAVE the crook of His arm, the shelter of His wings, the spreading of His robe over us.
The Beloved
Dante Gabriel Rosetti
Cor Unum Abbey 