Kahlil Gibran wrote compelling imaginings about Jesus from the perspective of those who encountered him. This passage illuminates how Jesus loved the “unseen” in Mary Magdalene. Her meeting Jesus made her realize that she had separated herself from her spirit. We can use this passage to ask ourselves if we, too, have forgotten our spirit, causing us to look to external things to bring us temporary satisfaction. Instead, we can remember and love the unseen in not only ourselves, but also others.

The power of positive thinking is strong, but it’s important to investigate our thoughts. Even if we have a “burning desire” for something, the law of attraction cannot fill a void of which you are unaware. For instance, if you desire an expensive car, what void do you believe this will fill? A desire to be popular or accepted? A car might bring temporal acceptance, but it will only introduce craving as your need goes unfulfilled. Instead, focus on what you “really” want, but also focus on how this can be of service to others. That way, your offering to the River of Life, which is rich and abundant. James Allen’s “As a Man Thinketh” tells us to really investigate the nature and power of our thoughts.

In southern Virginia, the Yogaville community has a beautiful shrine called LOTUS, which stands for Light Of Truth Universal Shrine. It suggests there is “one truth, many paths.” Richard Hooper echoes this sentiment in his book, “Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, and Lao-Tzu; The Parallel Sayings.” Sometimes the truth is hidden in the present moment if we open our eyes to see.

Do our words emerge from the depth of our hearts—the silence? Or are they rooted in our desires to win an argument? Cultivating silence in our everyday experiences allow us to speak with integrity and meaning. This passage from Thomas Merton tells us that silence is the “mother of all speech,” the formless before the formed.

We love distraction, particularly if we’re addicted to our emotional drama. We also love to muddy the water of our lives when we believe that our excesses can bring inner peace. Thomas Merton says that this is illusion. Those who thrive on distraction fear the truth that silence can bring. Instead, we can welcome silence into our minds and hearts, knowing that it is where God’s voice is heard.

Eric Whitacre was featured on “CBS Sunday Morning,” highlighting his remarkable music talents. His song, “Sing Gently,” brings 17,000 voices from all over the world. Each voice plays a role in creating the magic. Each voice sings with the intention of joining others in perfect harmony. In our society, many voices want to stand out for the purpose of being heard, rather than to bring harmony. Can we be a voice that sings gently, bringing peace and unity in a society that is singing off-key?

Thomas Merton describes the consonantia of nature and silence in the essay, Day of a Stranger. We can hear these notes if we tune out the noise in our heads and listen with spirit.

Our technologies make it easy to escape our current reality, but it also prevents us from learning what the present moment can teach us about ourselves. Do we hold unrealistic expectations that are only fulfilled in our fantasy? Our ability to come home to ourselves and our imperfections allows us to learn lessons, particularly about how we relate to ourselves and others.

On this day, the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, we contemplate who she was, rather than who we want her to be. Oftentimes we don’t like uncertainty, preferring the manifest over the unmanifest. But the mystery, the unmanifest, is pregnant with potential. Can we sit with uncertainty, rather than rush to an answer that might not be the right one?

We applaud extremes. We are somewhat envious of those in the circus. We implicitly tell ourselves that we must be extreme to be accepted and approved by others. Yet we come home to ourselves and cannot accept our mundane life. This makes us more anxious and unsatisfied with ourselves. However, inner peace can be found not by external acclaim, validation, or compensation. It can be found with our acceptance of the mundane and ordinary.