The story is told of St. Anthony retiring to a cave in order to find his true self. He’s tired of playing games within the world of false selves. As a result he determines to never leave the darkness until his true self is revealed. Similarly the Buddha decides to meditate under the Rose Apple tree—forever if need be—until he experiences enlightenment. I find the fervour and rigour of these wide-eyed saints to be compelling. To be so clear in what they want. An admirable trait in our nonchalant/ laissez-faire/go-with-the-flow world. And it seems like they were each successful in achieving their hearts’ desires—sainthood and enlightenment.
To be zealous. Clear-eyed. Unwavering. To be like Christ as he resolutely sets his heart towards Jerusalem to accomplish His Father’s goal. In this new year of 2025 I tell myself that such a passion is my goal. Deep down within I know it lies. But on the surface—my self more often feels more like the flickering wick the Prophet Isaiah once rued.
A question for us to consider then is “What might help us to obtain this arrow- like vision? A word from the Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister points us in the right direction (my translation from the Spanish El Monasterio del Corazon by Joan Chittister:)
“In the monastery of the heart the Benedictine soul always learns to return to the cave of the heart, where the superficialities of life do not distract us from the importance of life.”
This requires the cultivation of a reflective soul and a disciplined mind that ‘retires’ regularly to that space in which we first contemplate what we are called to be and later to consciously evaluate what we are to do in order to achieve it.”
First (as Chittister enjoins), we must muster the strength and courage to enter “the cave of the heart.” It means seeking the solitude of being alone with God. To wait on the mountaintop like Moses and not move until He shows up. To not give into the plentiful distractions that keep us from the cave’s entrance.
Second, we commit to search out what we are called to be. To listen carefully for the still small voice that calls out our names. A Voice that whispers our name in the dead of night as Samuel heard as a boy. Such a Voice still speaks quietly but clearly if we truly want to hear it.
Third, after hearing our name whispered (“clarifying the nature of our being”) we outline the first steps of our “doing.” That is, as we evaluate our call we lay out a path that helps us realize our vocation in living out our day to day.
It all begins by having the desire to “enter the cave of the heart.” To say “no” to distraction and to be brave enough to articulate our own “yes” come what may.