Merton once told me to quit trying so hard in prayer. He said: "How does an apple ripen? It just sits in the sun." A small green apple cannot ripen in one night by tightening all its muscles, squinting its eyes and tightening its jaw in order to find itself the next morning miraculously large, red, ripe and juicy beside its small green counterparts. Like the birth of a baby or the opening of a rose, the birth of the true self takes place in God's time. We must wait for God, we must be awake; we must trust in his hidden action within us.
Merton's Palace of Nowhere, by James Finley
I've been thinking about prayer more often than usual because of the Spiritual Formation class that I'm taking at the Dominican Center... and so this comment complements my learning.
But I also include these words here because of my dear sister, who is waiting for her baby to be born. She is officially due tomorrow, but, in her words, she feels four months overdue. She's tried it all: mall-walking amongst the Friday night teeny-boppers to eggplant with parmesan cheese and everything in between.
Dearest Tracy... I'm trusting the hidden action that is within you and within me... praying that God's time comes soon! You're ripe enough... :-)
Love you.
1 comment:
It's so funny how I didn't have time to read this until after God granted our wish. I'm so excited for you to meet her. Her hair is just amazing to me. Tonight when I was feeding her. I couldn't stop running my fingers through her long dark dark hair.
love you heids
tp/k
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