Sandra

“We can make a practice of letting go of unnecessary negative thoughts and feelings (our prayer word– a quick flight to the center, while the thought is allowed to float away– can be used to advantage in this) and cultivating joyful, positive ones. 132”
― M. Basil Pennington

“. . . when we take upon ourselves his yoke of obedience, his yoke is easy, his burden is light (Matt. 11:28-30). When is a burden light? It is when we find our burdensome lives caught up, elevated, borne aloft by something greater than our lives. Mission gives meaning. Jesus does not come to us to relieve us of all yokes or burdens; rather, he comes offering us a yoke worth wearing, a burden worth bearing. It is a great gift not to have to make your life mean something, to have your life given significance by the Lord whose cross, when taken up, takes us up as well. 119-120”
― William H. Willimon, Calling & Character: Virtues Of The Ordained Life

“Monks realize well that when the consciousness of one person is raised, the whole of humanity is raised; when the quality of life of one improves, all improve. Or, to put it in another, more biblical, way, the increased health and vitality of any one cell vitalizes the whole Body of Christ. 38”
― M. Basil Pennington, A Place Apart: Monastic Prayer and Practice for Everyone

“In the silence, whether we listen to the creation around us, the words of revelation, or the deepest stirrings of our own hearts, we begin to perceive another voice, one that is too often lost in the static of life. It is no use saying: ”Speak, Lord, your servant wants to hear,” if We never risk the silence to listen. 48”
― M. Basil Pennington, A Place Apart: Monastic Prayer and Practice for Everyone