Ordinand Retreat - Day Two --II

The day has progressed on and the the Pennsylvania countryside is warming under azure skies. I've just completed a contemplative walk, considering Luke's Gospel from our morning meditation. Truly amazing! I'm grasping for words to describe just how a retreat sounds. The visual is a no-brainer as the panorama looks like a Wyeth landscape. The sounds however are another matter altogether. For certain, its totally devoid of the clatter that bathes Suburbia Majora. There are no Spleen-punching sub-woofers rattling the windows. Too, missing is the ever-present din of traffic, pierced by the occasional wail of an EMS vehicle. Finally, the skies are quiet; I don't hear the sounds of aircraft maneuvering on their approach to Dulles International. No, rather there's the sounds of wind whistling through the trees, punctuated by an occasional birdsong.

This is a place where the soul is nourished and the spirit can be set at liberty. A place where the voice of the Almighty can once again be heard in greater sense of clarity. I'm not speaking of audible voices but rather, a place that declares His glory and shines fourth with His handiwork.