Meeting otherness

When you meet the other,
whoever they are,
stop.
Just stop.

Stop
long enough
to become
present
to their
being
as a door
to
Divine Presence.

When you meet the other,
whoever they are,
bow.
Just bow.

Bow
low enough
to reverence
their being
as a gift
held in existence
by
Divine Love.

When you meet the other,
whoever they are,
listen.
Just listen.

Listen
long enough
to hear
their truth
revealed
as a page
of the story
written by
the
Divine Word.

When you meet the other,
whoever they are,
stop.
Just stop.
Bow.
Just bow.
Listen.
Just listen.

And then,
only then,
in the
hallowed
space
between you
and the other,
whoever they are,
speak.

~ Richard Hendrick

 

Note:  Brother Richard Hendrick is a priest-friar of the Irish branch of the Capuchin Franciscan Order. For over twenty years he has worked to bring the insights of the Christian contemplative tradition to greater public awareness, particularly with reference to modern mindfulness theory.

See also:  Emblems of exclusion

And to find out more about the legacy of Nano Nagle see:  She is fully alive