"Sounds of Manresa" - The Silence
"Sounds of Manresa" - The Silence
| NATURAL AMPHITHEATER - The branches of the Plassard Oaks create an acoustic corridor for the sounds of God’s creation. | |||
| LOW VOLUME - The rule of silence and the serenity of the campus allow retreatants to focus on their relationship with God. | |||
SOUNDS ON ‘SILENT’ RETREAT AT MANRESA ARE MAGNIFIED BY GOD’S GLORY
Shhhh! Listen. These are the “Sounds of Manresa.” Let’s be still for a minute in God’s presence. As I sit here on the front steps of Xavier Hall at Manresa, the sun slowly rises to the rear of this stately building. Other July retreatants gather on the benches, on the chairs, and on the steps, slowly sipping their morning coffee even before the wake-up bell has chimed across campus. I neither study nor ignore the other men here on this silent retreat. Rather, I focus on my own spiritual deliberations and I respect their opportunity to do the same.
Someone once described Manresa as "The house of silence and sacred sod, where nobody speaks to anybody, and everybody speaks to God." That phrasing aptly describes the scene as I appreciate His glorious works before me. For a moment - because no one among the group of 10 or 12 men is speaking - I consider that it is completely silent all around. Suddenly, I realize it is not. It is overflowing with audible signs of the many gifts that God has given us. The sound of a far away tug on the river first catches my attention; it may be guiding barges that will feed or fuel thousands. A hidden handful of calming crickets chirp nearby. There must be thousands of birds among the hundreds of trees, yet at this moment only one unseen mockingbird sings. He serenades all who will listen, and like a treetop impressionist recreates the beautiful call of one bird after another. The sprawling branches of the ancient oaks before me direct and amplify his many melodies through an acoustic corridor. The smell of bacon momentarily draws my curiosity back to the building. Air conditioning equipment inconspicuously whirs away somewhere underneath the massive raised structure, bringing comfort to the dining room inside before we arrive for breakfast. I’m on retreat, it’s still early, and I now get up and walk without reason to wherever I am drawn. Just walking is a delight on the Manresa campus. I hear the scampering of some squirrels, and see them getting a full workout in their spectacular natural gymnasium, chasing each other up and down vertical tree trunks. As I stop briefly next to a fountain - sploosh! - something jumps into the water faster than I can see what it was. Approaching the water to investigate, the large goldfish who live there all swim directly toward me, expecting perhaps the traditional offering of some crackers or leftover bread. Eyes bulging, they each create a smacking noise I did not expect, as they extend their oval mouths from the water into my direction. Water tinkles into the pond from a fountain. Resuming my walk, somewhere among the lofty oaks - or is it somewhere up in the stand of crepe myrtles - another beautiful serenade commands my ears. Pausing to look up, I see a bird performing some awesome aerial acrobatics for the reward of a few airborne bugs. I am amazed to discover that a bird can sing so beautifully and fly so skillfully, both at the same time. Then I hear the simple chime of the distant Manresa bell. Ding ding...ding ding...ding ding. We need to meet in the chapel in five minutes. But God has something to say first...Listen!