Seeking the Presence of God

SEEKING THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN THE CITY, 

IN THE MOUNTAINS AND IN THE DESERT

Much has happened since I last posted to this blog three weeks ago.  I would like, through photographs and excerpts from my journal, to give you a glimpse into some of those experiences.  I realize that this post is more like a diary (what I did when and where) than a journal (self disclosure of what God is doing with and in me). In a future posting I plan to share more about the latter.

Since returning to the United States from Haiti on February 6, I have lived in the city, in the mountains and now in the desert.  I have discovered, for me, that each environment has its own unique appeal.

THE CITY

I flew into Denver International Airport where I was warmly greeted by my daughter Susie and her step son, Jeremy.  I stayed with Susie, her husband Mike, and Jeremy for ten days.  We all celebrated my 76th birthday with some of Susie’s biological family from the Denver area. 

On Sunday we attended mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.  This majestic, 102 year old, cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of Denver of the Roman Catholic Church.  Its architectural design is French Gothic Revival.  There are two 210 foot spires.  The building is made of limestone and granite, whereas  the altar, statuary and the bishop’s chair are marble.  There are 75 beautiful stained glass windows.

The Cantor sang liturgical solo passages to which the choir and congregation responded.  The cantor’s voice was so pure and awe-inspiring.

The congregation is heavily involved in meeting the needs of the homeless.  One of its ministries is serving 60,000 meals yearly to the poor in downtown Denver.  

THE MOUNTAINS

I then traveled 200 miles to the west to visit St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, CO.  This community consists of a group of 17 monks and priests. They are of the Cistercian Order commonly known as Trappists.  

The monastery is located on 3800 acres and sits between the ski resorts of Aspen and Vail.  The spectacular valley, at 8,000 feet altitude, is surrounded by the Rocky Mountains.

Guests are invited to join the members of the monastic community at three liturgies daily.  I attended several of them.  They are:

4:30 am-Vigils

7:30 am-Lauds and Mass

7:00 pm-Vespers and Compline

During the Vespers, 17 white-robed monks, sitting facing one another in the choir, chanted and sang prayers. Scripture was then read after which the lights were turned out.  While the candles flickered, we were ushered into silence and stillness for about ten minutes. 

The retreat facilities, sitting separately from the monastery by 1/2 mile, were designed and built to foster the spirit and practice of silence, solitude, meditation and prayer as a

means to deepen one’s spiritual life.  

Guests are accommodated in four guest rooms and eight separate hermitages. Each place includes a full kitchen and bath and each has a view of the mountains (Mt. Sopris is the most impressive).  Each guest supplies and prepares one’s own meals.

All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for He himself will say, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

Rule of St. Benedict

While most of my time at St. Benedict’s Monastery was non-directed, I was invited to participate in a “Morning of Centering Prayer” with the Contemplative Outreach of Colorado.  The focus of Centering Prayer is the deepening of our relationship with the living Christ through simply resting in God beyond thoughts, words, and emotions.  Father Thomas Keating, a member of this monastic community, is one of the leaders in the centering prayer movement.  He has written extensively on it.

About 60 people participated in this morning of silent prayer.  The time was divided into eight, 20-minute Centering Prayer periods.  Prior to participating in these sessions, I attended a talk on “Introduction to Centering Prayer. “ 

Although the practice of Centering Prayer had been important to me in my early faith journey, I have not been practicing it lately.  It felt so good and right to be with a group that puts a very high value on this form of prayer. With God’s help, I plan to practice this form of prayer daily (or twice daily as recommended by the ‘experts’).

“Centering Prayer is a method designed to facilitate the development of Contemplative Prayer by preparing our faculties to receive this gift.  It is a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion with Him.”  

The Prayer of Consent, Thomas Keating

THE DESERT

Therefore I am now going to allure her; 

I will lead her into the desert 

and speak tenderly to her.   Hosea 2:14 NIV

From the mountain environment I traveled south to the desert.  I had a reservation to spend two weeks at Spiritual Life Institute’s hermitage.  This monastic community is situated at the base of  the breathtaking beauty of the Sangre de Christo range of the Rocky Mountains, just outside the village of Crestone, CO.  Several 14,000+ snow-covered peaks are visible from my window.

This was a homecoming for me.  From 1968-1970 our family lived in San Luis, a small town of largely Hispanic-Americans, located 70 miles south of Crestone.  We served in the clinic under the Presbyterian Medical Services of the Southwest.

This hermitage is a Roman Catholic ecumenical community of vowed men and women with roots in the Carmelite contemplative tradition.  As described in their quarterly journal, Desert Call, Contemplative Christianity and Vital Culture, the community “aspires to create a vital environment characterized by solitude, simplicity, and beauty, where community thrives, love is nurtured, prayer flourishes, and the whole person can be transformed.”  

This hermitage is one of two hermitage retreat centers of the Spiritual Life Institute.  Their other center, Holy Hill Hermitage, is in Ireland.  NADA is located on 1,000 acres of desert.  It consists of a central building, which houses a large library, offices and kitchen.  There is also a chapel, where services are held several times a week.

The members of the community take seriously God’s command, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Ps. 46:10)

Brother Thomas, during a liturgy, prayed, “Father God, may we love you as no other person has ever done.”  I took this as a most worthy challenge, while realizing that this depth of love could only be achieved through a gift from the Holy Spirit.

During this retreat I am again surrounded by solitude, silence and stillness for most of the time.  I have discovered these three “S’s” are essential for my spiritual growth and well-being.  This type of environment facilitates my sense of being in the presence of God like none other. Upon returning to the real world in a couple of months, I will want and need to incorporate intentional times of the three “S’s” into my daily life.

Guests are housed in separate, 400 square foot hermitages.   NADA provides basic foods including: grains, cereals, cheese, bread, coffee, tea, fresh vegetables, fruit, canned goods, etc.  Guests cook for themselves.  Each Sunday after mass, the guests are invited to join the monastic community at breakfast.  Guests can stay from a weekend up to a year.  The usual stay is for one week.  Tomorrow I will have finished my two weeks. 

This community is very environmentally conscious.  My hermitage is covered by earth on the north side.  Large windows on three sides allow solar energy to passively heat the interior. There is a majestic view of the Sangre de Cristo mountains to the east. To the south is a view of The Great Sand Dunes National Park.  One can see the San Luis valley and the San Juan mountain range to the west. There is a small, well-equipped kitchenette, a bedroom, an office space, a living room and a bedroom.  There is a wood stove, which I use early each morning to take the chill off.

Upon leaving the hermitage on March 6, I plan to travel in my minivan south to Arizona.  I hope the weather is warmer.  There, in addition to visiting friends and relatives, I will be staying at two different retreat centers near Tucson.  I also hope to do some tent camping in the desert.

Grace and Peace.

Larry Braak

(Please excuse the incorrect order of photographs.  I am still working on it.)

“Enlightenment is an accident.  Meditation makes you accident prone.”

Found scribbled on the front page of Spiritual Life Institute library’s copy of Henri J. M. Nouwen, Encounters with Merton.

Larry and daughter Susie celebrate Larry's 76th birthday at her family's home in Commerce City, Colorado.

The chapel at Spiritual Life Institute Hermitage serves the monastic community as well as worshippers from the nearby town of Crestone, Colorado.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is the seat of the Archdiocese of Denver of the Roman Catholic Church.  The interior is largely made of limestone and granite.

The interior of Larry's hermitage at Spiritual Life Institute is largely heated by solar energy.  A wood stove serves as a backup during chilly mornings.  The hermitage is well equipped and has a kitchenette, bathroom, bedroom, office space and living area.

Larry enjoys holy leisure in his hermitage at Spiritual Life Institute.

Larry's hermitage at Spiritual Life Institute is in the foreground.  The Sangre de Cristo Mountain range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains is in the background.  In the center is Kit Carson Peak which reaches over 14,000 feet in height.

St. Benedict's Monastery is situated in a majestic valley in Snowmass, Colorado.  Larry spent a weekend here learning "Centering Prayer."

Mule deer enjoy an early morning stroll just outside of Larry's hermitage at Spiritual Life Institute. 

Nada Carmelite Hermitage is one of two hermitages of Spiritual Life Institute.  The other hermitage is located in Ireland.  "Nada" in Spanish means "nothing".  This is taken from one of St. John of the Cross's favorite sayings, "There is nothing but God."  The San Luis Valley and the San Juan Mountains are seen in the far distance.

Larry, on left, views the Sangre de Cristo mountains with Brother Thomas, who is a member of the hermitage's community of monks.  This cabin is part of the Nada Carmelite Hermitage.  It is located high in the mountains above the main group of buildings.  The cabin is available for those who desire utmost privacy.