Today
I sat in the Adoration Room,
wanting silence and stillness.
Just to sit before You
and listen.

There was already someone there.
An elderly man.
He looked uncomfortable,
as if he had come in mainly
to escape the heat outside
and enjoy the cool air.

His breathing was laboured.
His legs were swollen—
purple and flaky.
The kind of legs
that tell a story of illness
and long suffering.

I settled down to talk to You,
trying to ignore the distractions
and focus on prayer.

Not long after,
another person entered.
A priest.
But he did not seem settled either.

Soon I realised
someone was snacking.

“Sir, please eat outside.
No food here.”

The elderly man slowly shuffled out.
After a while he shuffled back in
and sat down again.
Then he shuffled out once more
and eventually left.

The priest, however,
still seemed restless.
Then, he began wiping down
the cushioned seats.

At one point he asked
if I could move a little
so he could clean the bench behind me.

He left for a moment
and returned again—
this time with a dustpan and broom.
Again he apologised
and asked if I could move a little
so he could sweep the floor.

Finally,
after the wiping
and the sweeping
and the shifting of seats,
he sat down.

And only then
did he begin
his quiet time.

And as I sat there
watching all this unfold,
I wondered quietly in my heart,
Who was more at rest before You?

The elderly man
with his tired body
and swollen legs,
or the priest
busy wiping, sweeping,
preparing the room
for silence?