Fall is a “royal season”. [1] It is a time of transition, a time of settling that brings crisp air and no humidity. Animals prepare for winter. Amazing artistic beauty appears overnight as leaves change from shades of green to majestic gold, bright yellow, shiny red and deep burgundy. Fall is also an excellent time to go hiking in the mountains to prayer and contemplate. Thomas Merton [2] suggests “the only thing to seek in contemplative prayer is God: and we seek Him successfully when we realize that we cannot find Him unless He shows Himself to us, and yet at the same time that He would not have inspired us to seek Him unless we had already found Him.”
Hiking trails are reminiscent of the path of life and of God’s continual presence in our lives. Sometimes the path of life is soft like a trail after a summer of consistent rain. At other times, the loose gravel, rocks or tree stumps alert us to precede cautiously least we stumble and fall. Idyllic mountain paths that meander at the edge of streams mesmerize us with their melodic tune. Just at the point when we have become lulled into the mystery of the water’s music, we find we have taken our eyes off the path to look at the scenery, and suddenly we are faced with a quick turn around jagged rocks.
Streams of water meandering along trails remind us of God walking alongside our path of life. When we encounter places where the water is extremely quiet and peaceful, we encounter moments when we experience God’s hand gently on our shoulders. Sometimes the quiet is as frightful as the moments, days, weeks, months, or years we cannot sense God guiding us. Other times, cascading waterfalls provide sound barriers to noises of the forest and create illusions that we are alone because the only sound you hear is the sound of the water. In some places, the water is deep and others it is shallow, like our walk with God. At times, we cross streams easily; at others we need a hand or a walking stick to assist us over slippery rocks.
The longer we walk a trail, the deeper we go into finding out what God desires to reveal to us. Those who hike to get to the destination are often slowed as they realize the destination is uncovered in the journey. Those who hike as a part of the journey are rewarded with new insights.
God desires to be close to us all of the time. Hiking can be a form of prayer, a time of meditation, a time to praise and worship. God is waiting to speak with you midst the crunching of the fallen leaves and squirrels scampering to gather food for the winter, as you climb a jagged cliff or meander along a mountain stream. God is waiting.
Joyce Rupp and Macrina Wiederkehr. The Circle of Life.
Thomas Merton. Thoughts in Solitude
Contact Lisa by email to lisa@judithstable.org.
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