The Courage of Stillness

In Joshua 1:9, God commands Joshua to "be strong and courageous." We imagine courage as a battle cry, a charge into the fray. But the contemplative tradition reveals a deeper courage — the courage to be still. Thomas Merton once wrote from his hermitage at Gethsemani about the terrifying moment when all distractions fall away and you are left alone with God in raw silence.…