Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Thoughts for the first music rehearsal of a new program year...

...from Thomas Merton:

Music is pleasing not only because of the sound
but because of the silence that is in it:
without the alternation of sound and silence,
there would be no rhythm.
If we strive to be happy
by filling in the silences of life with sound,
productive
by turning all life's leisure into work,
and real
by turning all our being into doing,
we will only succeed in producing a hell on earth.
If we have not silence,
God is not heard in our music.
If we have not rest,
God does not bless our work.
If we twist our lives out of shape
in order to fill every corner of them
with action and experience,
God will seem silently to withdraw from our hearts
and leave us empty.

2 comments:

Cecilia said...

Lovely, you. Really lovely. And timely, for me at least. Rest so that my work will be blessed. Thanks for that.

Shalom said...

Amen. And I loved the previous post as well.