Resting In Being

“God neither heeds or needs vigils, fasting, prayer, and all forms of mortification in contrast to repose.

God needs nothing more than for us to offer [Him} a quiet heart.

Then He accomplishes, in the soul, such secrets and divine deeds that no creature can serve them or even add to them… The divine nature is repose, and God seeks to draw all creatures with him back again to their origin which is repose.”

In his commentaries on Eckhart, Matthew Fox adds these assuring words to any spiritual aspiration or sincere spiritual student …Eckhart tells us that spiritual practice is less about deeds than about repose, which is resting in being itself. Being with being.

It is about emptying ourselves, being unmoved,being at peace. Employing a “quiet heart” can take us deeper into the divine nature than any elaborate rituals and practices. Repose is our origin. It calls us. We can and ought to return there regularly.

While not for a moment does Eckhart negate the need for compassion in action, here he is speaking to us about our need to let go of our worldly agendas and to make room for contemplation, meditation, and rest.

Rarely can we encounter the sense of the Divine or any abiding sense of the Holy when we are busily immersed in our tasks that quickly, and sometimes completely,  will occupy our minds and crowd out the stirrings of our  hearts.

In short, God comes to us in repose…As we rest, we can await the appearance and felt recognition of God’s energies, and we can feel the Divine presence most clearly and distinctly in our lives.

As I have come to know this, this ideal of a “quiet heart” is a fleeting one. Most likely the barrier being imposed is my willful ego, my scurrying mind, or a heart full of worldly concerns that makes such holy rest and such respose in short supply. 

Rather than be or stay discouraged, I have increasingly been choosing to let go of any unnecessary barriers as I have reached a stage where I feel I do not have much I have to prove, nor do I need to impress myself or any others with my accomplishments.

If anything, I need to shift towards more quietude, unplugging from the distractions of mass media, and seeking “alone time” or to further make room for a sense of cherished solitude that makes me more receptive to whatever messages of inspiration or solace God desires to give me.