Editor’s Note: Father Liam is away for his annual pilgrimage and to lead retreats in Assisi, Italy! In order to give us a taste (no pun intended!) of his Italian journey, he is sending blog posts for the next few Sundays! Each entry will lead us on a tour on the life of St. Francis with his reflections and insights! This will be another wonderful way to deepen ‘The Year of St. Francis’ we are honoring at Saint Miriam. Post #3 is here!]
Hello from Assisi, friends!
Greetings once again from Assisi and Blessed Feast of St. Francis!
Today, as I write this message, we pilgrimaged to one of my favorite places: Eremo delle Carceri. This is a lovely space deep in Monte Subasio.
Here, Francis and the brothers would climb to delight in God in nature and to spend time in quiet and contemplation. As committed as Francis was to preaching the Good News and being with the poor and rejected, he was also deeply drawn to long periods of deep prayer, seeking out silent places to be at one with himself and his God. Eremo was one of his favorite places to do this.
He and his companions would find caves where each could be alone in the heart of nature and in the heart of God. They would spend hours, even days at Monte Subasio. From this Francis even developed a practice he incorporated into his “rule for hermits.” When the brothers went to Monte Subasio or other places for an extended period, one person would take the role of “Martha” and the others would take the role of “Mary.” Martha would be assigned to prepare meals for the others so that they could spend time in contemplation with no distractions, “sitting at the feet of Jesus” in prayer. After a few days, the roles would be reversed, so that each person had time to be Mary and each person had time to be Martha.
It is easy to see why Francis and the brothers loved this place. It is far from the busyness of the city, and it is beautiful and scenic and quiet. Everything about this place calls out, “Be still! God is here! Listen! Enjoy!”
Our time at Eremo reminds us that silence and contemplation are essential components of human life. Time in nature puts us at one with creation and with our Creator.
Time in silence enables us to leave behind the noise of the world and the noise of our minds. We can re-connect with our Source and Center, with LOVE living deep within us and all around us.
Pace e bene! (“Peace and every good.”) This was Francis’ greeting to all and so appropriate from me to you as we honor his Feast Day!
Father Liam