Yesterday, I spent part of the day driving to Abbey of the Geneseee. It’s one of my favorite haunts and I hadn’t been there in at least a month. Since today was a holiday there were a few more people than are normally there on a Monday. The store was busy and now the monks have a cashier who is there to take the money or in my case credit card. I picked up four Monks Brownies for friends. That all came after I spent perhaps 45 minutes in the chapel sitting quietly in the presence of the Holy Spirit. I love to come to that chapel and just sit and sometimes to nap a bit as I did today. I don’t go there to nap, but when I’m rested as I am in the presence of God it just comes naturally. I love the quiet and the mystical presence of the Eucharist in that spot. I know that God is everywhere but he seems more present there for some reason and I enjoy visiting him there. I usually sit as I did today just quietly listening for the still small voice. I think it was Herman Melville who said, “silence is the only voice of God.” I wholeheartedly agree.
Pentecost
Today was the Feast of Pentecost. At Mass today Fr. Lou’s homily was about the Holy Spirit and about how much of theology is spent on Jesus and God the Father, but almost nothing on the Holy Spirit. He drew our attention to a print near the rear of the chapel today that is a depiction of the Ruach. The depiction is of a feminine spirit breathing life into the earth from the cosmos. Today was also Mothers Day and as I looked at this depiction I thought of the parallels between the Ruach and mothers. We come to life in our mothers and it is through the love, action and attention of our mothers that our early lives are animated. We cannot see the Ruach but it is the breath of God that gives us life and gives our lives direction and purpose. Mystics whether men or women are always in touch with the sacred feminine which is very much within the holy spirit. Those who deny this feminine are really out of touch with the Holy Spirit.