Wednesday's edition of L'Osservatore Romano Pope Benedict's Wednesday General Audience where he reminded us that the monastic is an essential value for humanity and for the Church, today. The Pope's emphasis on beauty and silence to appreciate and to listen God's promptings of the desires of the heart is important. We ought to pay attention. Watch the Rome Reports news video.
The editor writes, "Monasteries are true and proper oases of the spirit in which God speaks to humanity. The Pope said this to faithful at the General Audience of Wednesday, 10 August, that was held in the courtyard of the Papal Residence at Castel Gandolfo."
Dear Brothers and Sisters! In every age, men and women who have consecrated their lives to God in prayer - like monks and nuns - have established their communities in particularly beautiful places: in the countryside, on hilltops, in valleys, on the shores of lakes or the sea, or even on little islands. These places unite two elements which are very important for contemplative life: the beauty of creation, which recalls that of the Creator, and silence, which is guaranteed by living far from cities and the great means of communication. Silence is the environmental condition that most favors contemplation, listening to God and meditation. The very fact of experiencing silence and allowing ourselves to be "filled," so to speak, with silence, disposes us to prayer. The great prophet, Elijah, on Mount Horeb - that is, Sinai - experienced strong winds, then an earthquake, and finally flashes of fire, but he did not recognize the voice of God in them; instead, he recognized it in a light breeze (cfr. 1 Rev 19:11-13). God speaks in silence, but we need to know how to listen. This is why monasteries are oases in which God speaks to humanity; and there we find the courtyard, a symbolic place because it is a closed space, but open toward the sky.
From my friend, Father Frowin, I learned of this tragic news:
