Photo was taken yesterday at Altamount, Millstreet, Co.Cork (Irl)

It may be the end of September but there is still plenty of colour to be found in gardens at this time of year.

Thought on Monday – October – 30/09/2013

One of the bestselling books in recent times is ‘Calm the Soul’ by the Poor Clare Sisters in Galway. It is a book of simple wisdom and prayer. The following is an extract from the introduction with plenty food for thought:

There have been phenomenal changes in the past decade and we now live in a very different world, an extremely busy world. The reality is that today, people are trying to juggle more and more activities in their day to day lives. Advances in technology and the way we communicate have brought with them incessant demands for our attention. We seek serenity of heart but find that there is no space given for our souls. Silence is all but gone and yet silence itself can be healing. Allied to this is the reality that for many people, the pace of life has increased greatly. A rushed quality pervades our world and can rob us of peace.

Living constantly on a treadmill, it is hard to appreciate how much energy can be depleted through constant rushing. The result is that there is a high level of unease. God wants us to live in peace, to have serenity and harmony in our hearts but today these things can be difficult to find. Sometimes the importance of the spiritual aspect of life is not appreciated and from what people have told us, by post or when they visit the monastery, there’s a real hunger for some tranquillity and silence. Despite the great changes that have occurred in our world, human nature is still the same, with the same needs.