I long to be there and to be quiet.
One can fill one’s soul with Christ only by being quiet
From time to time.
But will I find silence?
A whole crowd will rush at me,
Clamoring for me,
Little hounds and full chase.
But never mind.
Even then it will be living Christ
And not talking about Him,
Living His kindness,
His weariness,
His infinite compassion for souls,
I will find Christ where He is for me.
He does indeed ask of me the greatest sacrifice,
I am a contemplative by vocation,
By inclination.
In actuality, I cannot be a contemplative.
I shall never be able to be a contemplative.
As a monk, yes, I am a contemplative.
But since I am myself a whole community,
A whole congregation,
I am the brother doorkeeper,
The brother orderly,
The brother cook,
The brother Gardner,
So how can I be a contemplative?
But the point is to let Christ live
The kind of life on earth that He has chosen to live.

Father Albert Peyriguere ‘Voice from the Desert’

Lake Erie from the Hospice of the Western Reserve.