Weekly Prayer - In Memory of a Sacred Place

Lord, I remember the place even though it was long ago.
It was a small clearing in the forest. I used to go there to spend some quiet time with You.

But there was this one occasion when I went there to sort out what was going on in my head.
As I sat on a stump of a tree, I could sense the leaves rustling and the sun settling.

Then there was a moment when time stood still. There was a sense of presence,
Your presence, Lord and a feeling of immense relief and deep peace.
I knew what You were calling me to do; I knew what You were asking of me.
It was a moment of intense certainty for I was in a sacred space and Your word was sure.

I can’t find that place anymore. Houses have been built there, and it just isn’t the same.

So sometimes when I sit in a church or on a park bench,
I think back to that sacred place in the forest, that place where I encountered You,
where I heard Your word, where  peace because I knew what You expected of me.

And once again I feel I am back in that space again even for a brief moment,
and I am aware yet again that Your are always there no matter the place, no matter the time.

Thank you for those places and times when I have been to the mountain
and shared the feast and heard Your word and felt at peace.

Amen

- Columban Fr. Tom Rouse