Day 3 – Meteora: Suspended Between Heaven and Earth

Today we stepped off the trail of following the Apostle Paul through the Book of Acts and stepped forward into another chapter of sacred history, the 14th century, at a place called Meteora.

Rising dramatically from the Thessalian Valley, Meteora is a landscape of towering stone pillars, some reaching nearly 1,800 feet high. The name Meteora means “suspended in the air,” and it couldn’t be more fitting. Perched atop these rocks are monasteries that seem to hang between heaven and earth, reminders of a people longing to live close to God.

The story of Meteora began centuries before these monasteries were built. By the 9th century, hermits and ascetics had already sought solitude in the caves below. But by the 14th century, they began building communities atop the cliffs, not to escape the world, but to be transformed within it and see the world from God’s perspective. Their aim was not isolation, but imitation, the imitation of Christ.

At Meteora, they formed a rule of life, a rhythm of practices that anchored their pursuit of holiness. These rhythms still speak deeply into our own hurried and fragmented lives today.

Ceaseless Prayer (Hesychia): An ongoing conversation with God, the heartbeat of their existence.
Communal Worship: Fixed hours of prayer and song, often from the Psalms, gathering the community around praise.
Manual Labor (Ora et Labora): Work as worship, ordinary tasks infused with sacred purpose.
Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience: A life of surrender, simplicity, and single-hearted devotion to Christ.
Hospitality: Welcoming pilgrims as icons of Christ Himself, offering bread, blessing, and belonging.
Reading and Meditation (Anagnosis): Turning Scripture into prayer through Lectio Divina—slowly reading, reflecting, praying, and living the Word.
Confession and Spiritual Direction: As James 5:16 reminds us, confession brings healing; wise mentors helped them discern God’s voice.
Fasting and Simplicity: A reminder of our truest hunger for God alone.
Iconography: Sacred images as “windows into heaven,” invitations to see beyond and find ourselves within God’s story.
Vigil & Watchfulness: Staying alert to the presence of Christ within us, around us, and through us, ever ready to carry His light into the world.

As we stood in these monasteries suspended between heaven and earth, we felt the weight and wonder of their pursuit. They remind us that formation happens through rhythm, through small, repeated acts of love and devotion that shape our souls over time.

Today, Meteora challenged us to reflect on our own rhythms and practices, our own “rule of life.”

Reflection: 

What sustains us for the long journey ahead?
What daily patterns are shaping us to become more like Christ?
Maybe holiness isn’t found in escape, but in attention.

Not in rising above the world, but in being transformed within it.

Suspended between heaven and earth,

Jerrell