The silence of meditation is not the silence of a graveyard; it is the silence of a garden growing. There is no deadness in a garden, but in that all-pervading silence an intense activity is going on in the ground which will later take form as buds, blossoms and fruit. So, too, in meditation there is not a blankness, but a rhythmic activity of the Spirit. As the mind exhausts itself the Spirit comes through, and we are in the realm of heaven. True, we are still on earth, our feet are solidly on the ground -- the holy ground of spiritual awareness.
~ from THE ALCHEMY OF AWARENESS by Lorraine Sinkler
The all-important aim in meditation is to allow God's mysterious and silent presence within us to become more and more not only a reality, but THE reality in our lives; to let it become that reality which gives meaning, shape and purpose to everything we do, to everything we are.
When you pray, do not pray half-heartedly. Pray with every part of your being. Let your physical body resound to your intention, your feelings and you thoughts. Let prayer manifest in your life's motives and in your aspirational body. Beyond all else, trust that your prayers will be answered as they are needed to be answered... Let your prayer carry the sound of your deepest love, for most surely Love is the cause of life and Love is its own effect... Love is universal, so part of our life's work is to become so universal in our words, thoughts, feelings and deeds that we become "the sounding box of God".
~ from REASON IS POWERLESS IN THE EXPRESSION OF LOVE by Reshad Feild
We parked the car at the roadside and walked onto the grass. We stood together and sent our praises to the Most High. The prayer was sweet and when I dropped my head onto the cool, grass-covered earth, I felt myself truly a servant. For just a fleeting moment my heart was full of joy. As we walked back to the car, I began to understand. Prayer is service in the absolute. It is selfless service to God. Actually, one's entire life could be a prayer.
~ from THE WRITING ON THE WATER by Muhyiddin Shakoor
Silence provides an atmosphere for prayer, and it preserves the growth that has been gained in prayer. People who begin to speak immediately after prayer in common, will not be able to preserve the fruits of their prayer. Their Recollection is dissipated, and they pour out all that has been accumulated within them. The observance of silence, on the other hand, allows the spirit of prayer to reverberate and take root in the heart.
You are prayer. You are a special and sacred word of God made flesh. To pronounce your own unique word is to pray the most beautiful -- if not the holiest -- of prayers.
Come! Spirit of Love! Penetrate and transform us by the action of Your purifying life. May your constant, brooding love bring forth in us more love and all the graces and works of love. Give us grace to remain still under its action, and may that humbles stillness be our prayer. Amen.
