Into Great Silence

I went to see the movie "Into Great Silence" yesterday afternoon. It was visually stunning and spiritually thought-provoking.

I didn't come away from it wanting to become a Carthusian. I am monk-ish but not THAT monkish.

But I did begin to take those everyday ADL's a little more seriously.

Eating,
Walking,
Praying,
Talking,
Playing......

all done more deliberately, even mindfully,

and with a sense of God's abiding presence.

This reputation of the Carthusian order as a "community of hermits" reminds me of the bi-polar nature of our spiritual lives. We long for the Divine and try to order our physical surroundings so as to reach God. There is a sort of spiritual "feng-shui" which takes place in lives when God becomes the object of our intense desire.

This movie is like a divine "floor plan" for that sort of life. We look for meaning and significance "out there" when in actuality the Divine can be found while we circum-ambulate around and around in our herb garden.

Praise God (Benedicite Domine!), those well worn paths and boots in need of repair.

And I say go see this movie if you get the chance.