Be Still ~ Bear Fruit: Living our True Nature

In my experience, one of the greatest struggles for most of us in today’s contemporary culture is coming to know and experience the presence of God in our lives. To do this, we need to be truly still, quiet, present to God. The truth is that God is already present to us. Our problem is that often we are too busy, running in too many directions to notice, to be sufficiently aware, and to make the necessary connections. Meister Eckhart once said wisely: “The very best and utmost act of attainment in this life is to remain still and let God act and speak in thee.” Only when we experience communion with God in quiet and in prayer can we truly live the gifts of the Spirit in word and in deed. Only then can we bear fruit. And bear fruit we must! It is indeed in becoming still and in living authentically that we come to know and live our true nature. How to do all this more freely and with joy is what Be Still ~ Bear Fruit hopes to teach all of us…. It is a book that will help all of us Christians come to deeper insight into the nature of human life itself, to the gift of Jesus Christ in our lives, and to the multiple ways God addresses the human heart. It can also be instructive and helpful for our brothers and sisters of other religious traditions, especially those coming from the East.

—Rev. Gerald Brown, S.S., Ph.D