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Home / Menno Snapshots / Gathering silence (to meet with Charles)
Nov 17 2021

Gathering silence (to meet with Charles)

Ruben Chupp retired from full-time pastoral ministry after 28 years and now serves as an on-call chaplain at Goshen (Indiana) Health.  He offers spiritual direction and works at two local funeral homes, as needed.  He attends Sunnyside Mennonite Church in Dunlap, Indiana.

In the following reflection, Ruben describes the process a spiritual director experiences in preparation for a spiritual direction session.

_______________________________________________

Shhhhhhh.
Silence.
Breathe deeply,
listen closely,
watch intently.
Gathering silence,
in my soul,
in preparation,
to meet with “Charles.”

Sirens just south of me,
in town,
rattle, racket and rumpus.
The noise passes through me.
I return,
gathering more silence,
to meet with Charles.

I’m in my study,
10-by-10,
100 square feet.
Small,
quiet,
big enough,
to meet with Charles.

I turn on my computer.
My screen lights up,
the color of milk.
Skype,
to meet with Charles.

But Charles isn’t present.
His computer
won’t light up.
“Not working,”
Charles says on the phone.

I’m disappointed.
But I still have my silence.
In my study,
10-by-10,
100 square feet,
big enough,
to meet with God.

Breathe deeply,
listen closely,
watch intently.
Gathering silence,
in my soul.


Learn more about the Mennonite Spiritual Directors Network at mennosdn.org.

You can find links to the Spiritual Directors Network website and other congregational and ministerial resources on MC USA’s Church Vitality webpage: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/ministry/church-vitality/

The views and opinions expressed in this blog belong to the author and are not intended to represent the views of the MC USA Executive Board or staff.

  • November 17, 2021
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