Monk in the World Guest Post: Ann Hoare
I am delighted to share another beautiful submission for the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Ann Hoare's reflection on experiencing the beauty that enlarges life.
‘Once the soul awakens, the search begins and you can never go back. From then on, you are inflamed with a special longing which will never again let you linger in the lowlands of complacency and partial fulfilment. The eternal makes you urgent. You are loath to let compromise or the threat of danger hold you back from striving towards the summit of fulfilment. When this spiritual path opens, you can bring an incredible generosity to the world and to the lives of others.’
These beautiful words from John O’Donohue’s Anam Cara, profoundly influence my spiritual journey. My spiritual formation is that of St Ignatius Loyola – Ignatian spirituality – that has its roots in the conviction that God is active, personal, and—above all—present to us. Ignatian spirituality is a spirituality for everyday life. It starts from God in our world and active in our lives. It is a pathway to deeper prayer, the grace of spiritual freedom, good decisions by keen discernment, and an active life of service to others. Jesuit priest David Fleming wrote: it is a spiritual “way of proceeding” that offers a vision of life; an understanding of God; a reflective approach to living; a contemplative way of praying; a reverential attitude to our world; and an expectation of finding God daily. So for me, God’s footprints can be found everywhere—in my work and relationships, in my family and friends, in my sorrows and joys, in the sublime beauty of nature and in the mundane details of my daily life.
One of the key elements of Ignatian spirituality is the Daily Examen, a technique of prayerful reflection on the day’s events in order to detect God’s presence. In these reflections I return often to a constant theme in my life – why am I here? What is my purpose? To paraphrase Mary Oliver, what do I plan to do with my one wild and precious life? The ongoing discernment of the Examen provides an answer to these questions. I am here to make a difference: to all lives that touch mine and to all God’s creatures; to live a life of service; and to do this with passion and joy.
In these often troubled times it is easy to become disillusioned and to join in the 'woe is me chorus'; to forget that in spite of the newspaper stories and TV sound bites that tell us otherwise, the good and the beautiful surround us as well, if we just take the time to notice. The following excerpt from O’Donohue’s poem A Blessing for One Who is Exhausted complements the Examen perfectly:
Take refuge in your senses, open up
to all the small miracles you rushed through.
Become inclined to watch the way of rain
when it falls slow and free.
Imitate the habit of twilight,
Taking time to open the well of colour
That fostered the brightness of day.
Draw alongside the silence of stone
until its calmness can claim you.
Be excessively gentle with yourself.
Stay clear of those vexed in spirit.
Learn to linger around someone of ease
who feels they have all the time in the world
Gradually you will return to yourself,
having learned a new respect for your heart
and the joy that dwells far within slow time.
Thomas Moore in Care of the Soul, writes that the soul craves beauty, and is nurtured by beauty. What food is to the body, arresting, complex, and pleasing images are to the soul. For the soul, it is important to be taken out of the rush of practical life, out of all the messiness, and busyness of our everyday lives, for the contemplation of the timeless and eternal realities.
Beauty is a necessary part of my ordinary life. Each day I look for those moments when my soul glimpses an occasion for beauty, not just in my surrounds but in the people I meet, and those unexpected encounters that lighten and brighten my days.
Today my life was filled with beauty. As I drove to an afternoon tea to celebrate the 89th birthday of a still practising artist, I took notice of the cloudless blue sky, the Cassia and Golden Rain trees bursting into bloom, and the pelicans as they perched on the bridge spanning the bay. We ate cake and sang happy birthday, and listened to the stories from a long and creative life, filled with passion and joy. On my way home I paused to sit by the sea and watch the myriad of colours streaking the sky as the setting sun cast its light across the water.
Now as I reflect on this day I give thanks for the loveliness of autumn, for the beauty of creation and for friendship. Again I return to John O’donahue who wrote that ‘to experience beauty is to have your life enlarged’ and at the end of this day, I feel that my life is enlarged indeed."
I am a fledgling spiritual director, a facilitator of prayer and reflection days, with a particular interest in art and prayer, and a giver of the first Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius Loyola. I live in Brisbane, Australia.
