THE PLACE NO ONE WAHTS TO LOOK: A Lay Cistercian reflects on six questions every human must answer before they die and how using contemplative spirituality allows us to approach the Mystery of Faith.There are six questions that I consider the foundation of my spirituality, particularly the Cistercian approach to the Mystery of Faith. I did not come by these six questions quickly or easily, which I call Thresholds, and have just begun to discover how to approach the answers to them. Ironically, these answers did not come from outside of me but began deep within my own consciousness. On my journey to Forever, I aspire to be a Lay Cistercian at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery (Trappist) in Conyers, Georgia as my guide to increasing my "capacitas dei," making room in my heart for God to dwell there in silence and solitude. My journey from self to God has been slow, but unrelenting, one that involves both visible and invisible realities, all culminating in the Mystery of Faith. This book is the result of my Lectio Divina contemplations about the six questions each of us must discover if we are to move from self to God. The six questions I must address are;•What is the purpose of life?•What is my purpose in my life?•What does reality look like?•How does it all fit together?•How can I love fiercely?•I know I am going to die, now what?This journal retreat/workshop is a way for me to share the six questions I have discerned over my lifetime and how I began to resolve them, given that they are all part of the great Mystery of Faith. I hope that you will find these six questions about significant milestones helpful as the foundation of your own spiritual journey and begin to discern answers to them.
