She said to the Sage, "I believe in God - the best I can understand that. And I hear you teach that we are all loved dearly. But I don't feel worthy of such love. What can I do?" "Forget," said the Sage, "about being worthy. Love is not about either being worthy or unworthy, and you are neither, nor is anyone."
*Brian K. Wilcox. "Meetings with an Anonymous Sage."
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2004 -
I - a Protestant pastor among Catholics - sit in the chapel before the Holy Mass begins. We are celebrating St. Francis of Assissi's birthday. Across the chapel, on the other side of the Tabernacle housing the Blessed Host, she sits quietly. Her eyes are closed. She radiates an inner calm. She silently gives herself to this ritual of loving, the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Her face glows with her heartfelt devotion to the Christ among us.
2022 -
I keep recalling the scene over the years - now 18 years. She reminds me the Silence is not merely an absence; the Silence is Love. The Quiet is a space for loving. She invites me to relax and let myself be embraced wholly. When I do, and when I do not, I am home. Where else could I be? I have always been in Love with Love, long before I knew it.
*Use of photography is allowed accompanied by credit given to Brian K. Wilcox and notation of title and place of the photograph.
*Brian's book, An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major online booksellers or the publisher AuthorHouse.
