I once saw contemplation as something done best in the quiet of a monastery or behind a closed door. Now I know that nature can be a contemplative companion. Instead of trying to control and manipulate the circumstances of your life and the world around you, you become more receptive to God in the world. You no longer ignore or grab nature as if it were a thing to dominate or own, but rather caress it; you no longer examine but admire it. In return, nature reveals itself transformed and renewed—no longer an impediment to prayer but a means of discernment; instead of an invulnerable shield, a
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