Lady, Queen of Heaven, grant me solitude and silence and unity, so that all my paths may be unblemished in God. That I may always be content, no matter what darkness surrounds me, still seeking him within, in his mercy. Allow me to live in this world in silence to the extent that God desires, and in the way that He wants.
(Thomas Merton /1915–1968/, diary entry from December 14, 1946)