Searching for Treasure

“We read in silence; we read looking for God. But we read in a particular way. A man drops a rare diamond in the leaves of the forest floor. Carefully, he kneels down. One by one he lifts each leaf. Slowly he searches, knowing his lost treasure is in the leaves. And this is how it is that we must read, listen to another and wait in silence. Our attentive expectancy in faith brings us to the brink of the insight of our true self in God. It is this preparation that allows us to realize that all of creation is a symbol of who He is. It is this preparation as a lifelong process that fills us with God’s light even as we journey on in darkness.”

— James Finley, 1978
Merton’s Palace of Nowhere

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Today’s Invitation

Re-read a favorite piece of scripture, poem, or passage from a book.

Can you find God in a new place in this familiar text?

Query of the Week

What spiritual exercises do you find nourishing?

What do you find yourself doing when you are stressed or upset? When you’re joyful? What does your body need before you can connect with Spirit?

Author

  • Maeve Sutherland

    Maeve Sutherland is a communications professional who never recovered from her wonderful childhood at a Quaker elementary school. She has spent her career helping nonprofits share their stories, from schools and universities, to museums, to radio stations. As a Thomas J. Watson Fellow, Maeve spent a year living in “Peaceable Kingdoms,” pacifist intentional communities around the world, where she learned that everyone has a role to play in shaping a better world. She worked as a freelance social media manager before joining Thee Quaker Project. After returning to Quakerism as a young adult, Maeve now attends Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting in Philadelphia.

    View all posts