The reflection goes like this:

Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know that I am.

Be still and know.

Be still.

Be.

If we go into prayer with this, leaving a space between each line, we make the journey from God-out-there to God-within-us.

Something about the shortening of each line and the final "Be" brings us to the inner place of contemplation.

Of course, there are many other aids to meditation. Each is designed to facilitate the same journey of awareness.

In stillness, we realise that God is within us.

Some people light a candle or incense, using light or fragrance to achieve stillness.

Others may use music or words like maranatha - come, Lord Jesus.

Also, body awareness can help meditation, deep breathing and muscular relaxation.

Whatever method is used, the aim is stillness, a calmness that settles over us, unwinding physical and mental tension.

When we can achieve that, there comes the 'knowing' that can't be put into words.

I have tried all of the above methods and have always struggled with what I call "head noise," a busy brain disturbing peaceful intentions.

I see myself as a tree with upper branches full of chattering birds.

I cannot make the head noise go away.

However, I have learned to hear the chatter without engaging with it. Instead, I focus on the stability and stillness of the tree trunk.

That seems to work.

In recent years, age has given me new tools to work with.

One of these could be considered a nuisance. It's the gap when a word disappears.

When I write, I have access to the words I need, but that is no longer so with speech.

There are holes in the fabric of talk.

Nouns - and especially proper nouns - will disappear and leave me stranded like a fish on dry land.

Not long ago I wanted to tell someone that a good friend, a children's author, had died. I could not remember my friend's first name.

There was an embarrassing silence.

The next day it came to me. Her first name was the same as mine. It was Joy.

I know these lapses are common in people my age, but I did not anticipate how they would benefit meditation.

When names disappear there comes a new spiritual awareness of unity.

Naming is necessary for order. Society would not cope without it. Yet the naming of things also tends to separate.

I wonder if that's the meaning of the Biblical story ‘The Tower of Babel."

Language divides the oneness of creation.

So what has this to do with meditation?

When a noun drops out of sight, it leaves a little gap through which we see the Oneness of everything.

It's a Oneness usually cloaked in layers of words, and seeing it is a gift that comes with age.

When we experience it, all we can say to God is "Thank you."

• Joy Cowley is a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and retreat facilitator.

So it shouldn't have been surprising that the "cold-call pontiff" was at it again this week, to thank an ice cream shop for the gift of several pounds of Italian gelato. Read more

Here is a story that has stayed with me both in essence and effect.

Two women won a national competition. The prize was to have a meal cooked for them by a world-famous chef, at the chef's home.

The women arrived at the appointed time and rang the bell.

The chef herself opened the door. She was wearing an apron, and in the hallway, there was the most delicious aroma of food.

The first woman was loud with excitement.

She said she'd bought every recipe book the chef had written and now could not believe she was receiving the great honour of having the chef cook for her.

The second woman said nothing.

As the chef ushered them into the living room, the first woman admired the furnishings, drapes, carpet, and waxed lyrical about the fragrance that drifted in from the kitchen.

The second woman who seemed a little shy did not say a word.

They were each given a small glass of sherry while the chef put the last touches to the meal.

During this time, the first woman told the second, how she had followed the chef's career. Indeed, she had recorded all her TV cooking shows.

The second woman nodded but was still silent.

Then it was time to go to the dining room and sit at the table.

As the chef was serving them, the first woman talked about the perfection of the dishes. She wanted to know every detail of the meal, including the herbs and spices that had been used.

The second woman picked up her knife and fork.

Nothing slowed the first woman's rapturous talk. She pushed the food around her plate and chatted about cooking techniques. She congratulated the chef on her many culinary awards.

The second woman ate like a hungry dog and then asked the chef for more.

"Tell me," said Gerry. "Which woman showed the greatest gratitude."

That story lies deep within me, and it comes to go the surface every time I hear another lament about sin.

Of course, we are sinners! Hooray! That is our growing space!

Our error, deliberate or otherwise, is our teacher. How else would we learn?

Our mistakes bring us closer to God.

Isn't that marvellous?

Mistaken is how God made us, children growing in wisdom through experience.

If we were perfect, we would have no room for growth.

There is nothing wrong with offering God fine speeches of praise, but that means little if I fail to enjoy the goodness of God in this world.

I need to live my gratitude.

I like the image of God in an apron, welcoming us, nourishing us with abundant life.

I'm sure that's how the psalmist felt when he wrote, "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good."

• Joy Cowley is a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and retreat facilitator.

The way Jesus prayed to his Father "teaches us that in our own prayers, we must always trust in the Father's will and strive to see all things in light of his mysterious plan of love," he said during his weekly general audience Dec. 14.

In his catechesis to nearly 6,000 people in the Vatican audience hall, Pope Benedict continued a series of talks on Christian prayer.

Everyone should seek to understand that when asking something of God in prayer, "we mustn't expect the immediate fulfillment of what we are asking for, of our will, but rather trust in the will of the Father," the pope said.

Requests, praise and thanks must be included in every prayer. "even when it seems to us that God is not living up to our real expectations," he said.

Prayer is a dialogue with God and entails "abandoning oneself to God's love," he said.

The most important thing to discover, the pope said, is that the one who answers humanity's prayers is more important than the actual prayers answered.

Jesus showed that before grace is received, one must "adhere to the giver" of that grace, that is, align oneself and comply with God, the pope said.

Having God in one's life, his friendship, his presence, his love are all more important than any concrete thing that he could give in return, he said.

Jesus "is the most precious treasure to ask for and always safeguard," he said.

Because prayer guides people to see beyond their own needs and wants, it also helps open their heart to others and offer them compassion, hope and the light that comes from Christ, the pope said.

Source

• NCR
• Image: Of course I could be wrong

"With your service, you have shown the face of kindness, friendliness and commitment to others," the the 84 year old pope said.

"I want to stop and thank you with all my heart for your invaluable service."

"Everyone did his or her best, by work and prayer, to weave, stitch by stitch, the magnificent, colorful tapestry of this World Youth Day," the Holy Father said.

Hundreds of volunteers, many wearing their green T-shirts, waved and cheered as the Popemobile entered the building. Several stood on the shoulders of friends to get a better look.

Volunteers gave up participating directly in the events to help make things run smoothly.

"At every event in which I took part, you were there: some were highly visible, while others stayed in the background, helping to ensure that everything took place in an orderly fashion," he said.

"This sacrifice was itself a beautiful and evangelical way to take part in the celebrations: you gave yourselves to others," Pope Benedict said.

"To love means to serve," he said, "and service increases love."

"Thank you for looking after the Pope."

Sources

• AFP
• CNA
• CNS
• Madrid11