Thirty-Seventh Meditation

(Ascent of Mount Carmel, book III: chapter 38-40)

"And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone," (76)


A Call To Listen

The setting of the place of prayer
Should support recollection's goal:
To minimize distraction there;
To aid in centering the soul.

Some prayer corners, cluttered and loud,
Resemble a collector's wares:
The images, richly endowed,
Distract her senses and her prayers.

She seeks the Lord in solitude;
In sheer silence Love is best heard.
Attentiveness, with gratitude,
Prepares her to receive The Word.

She listens with an earnest ear:
Her heart's open; her mind is clear.

76. Matthew 14:23


(c) Paul Buis, 2003