A kind of restlessness seems to be permeating our social fabric. A frenetic urge to do more in less time. Stillness has become so rare. Yet in all this ‘doing’ we tend to be losing our sense of ‘being’, the very goal our ‘doing’ is all about.
Our noisy environment is far from conducive towards this stillness. We spend endless time stuck in traffic amid the concrete jungle we have managed to create. We are captured by the new technological gadgets that promise us a more comfy and easy-going life. Yet we all know this is an illusion. But the worst that can happen to us is to lose the stillness of our own hearts and soul.
The soul is the source of our uniqueness, a place within that connects us not only to our own value and essence, but to the value and essence of every other living being. Most of us are unaware that we have disconnected from our soul and have come to accept as normal a ‘numbness’ and lack of meaning in our lives.
Why do we need stillness and silence? Because silence renews us and provides a perspective that subtlely changes our relationship with the life we know. ‘Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
Stillness is a spiritual disposition. Giving space to stillness does not exempt us from taking the initiative to fulfill our responsibilities and live our lives. Being still is acknowledging that despite our hectic ‘doing’ and ‘performing’ there is no substitute for reliance upon God.
Stillness exposes us to divine guidance. It leads us to discover the real purpose of life, to live it to the full, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.
Malta is graced with a few gemstones of so-called ‘retreat and spirituality centres’. These centres offer opportunities to experience spiritual serenity and stillness.
Most of us are unaware that we have disconnected from our soul
Such retreat houses have been home to thousands of people. Some seek time alone with God, others prayer and reflection, others healing, others a deeper experience of God and others seek guidance from spiritual masters.
There is no guarantee of a life lacking troubles, far from it. Yet, these spiritual masters guide people to discern God’s will in the midst of daily challenges and events.
They help people discover how God has intervened in history and how He has intervened in their personal lives. They help people to see how “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earths do change.” (Psalm 46: 1-2)
A spiritual retreat is a period of retirement, choosing a place of quietude to rediscover the divinity that exists at the centre of our lives. In his book, A Place for God, Timothy Jones suggests a retreat so we may “recollect a scattered life and focus on the one who calls and seeks and invites us to communion”.
The solitude of a retreat will provide an interval of stillness and gentle concentration, a pause in the constant and unremitting demands of our daily life. Jones asserts that “by practising silence, you nurture your listening skills. You find your true self. You hear the quiet voice of God”. A retreat provides a focused opportunity to learn and strengthen practices that may lead us to a shift in perception, thereby changing our relationship with life and the world around us. In the words of Fr Thomas Keating, “this is the miracle of the spiritual journey in life”.
Retreat centres provide a unique environment for deep, undisturbed and undistracted spiritual nourishment, a nourishment that asserts that we have an innate essence of loving and wholeness that not only helps our inner state of being or action, but also has a great impact on our loved ones, community and the global whole.
gordon@atomserve.net
Gordon Vassallo is an accredited guide at the Centre for Ignatian Spirtituality.