Blaise Pascal said that “All men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quiet in a room alone.” John of the Cross, 16th Century Mystic said that “God's first language is Silence."
The constant noise and busyness of our world make it difficult for us to listen and actually hear what others have to say. Worse than that, our lifestyle sometimes makes it impossible to hear God, to hear the whispers of our conscience, and to feel the palpable longings of our soul.
N.T. Wright, Anglican bishop, described four main “echoes of a voice” that resound in the human consciousness:
-The longing for justice
-The quest for spirituality
-The hunger for relationships
-The delight in beauty
Treasures abound for you if you celebrate silence. Maybe you will feel peace in your mind or relaxation in your body. Perhaps you will be less reactive or more creative.
SUGGESTIONS:
1. Set aside a specific time of day, designate a place and number of minutes, and begin your practice of silence. You can look out the window at the sky, practice deep breathing, or initiate a specific type of quiet prayer, such as Centering Prayer. If you wish to start with five minutes at the kitchen table with your morning coffee, minus a screen or any reading material, that is fine.
2. Share your plan to do this with someone. Maybe you can hold each other accountable with a weekly check-in. Just stick with it and listen for further instructions from within.
3. Take time to feel gratitude and awe at the beauty God provides, for example, the beautiful snow outside my window. See the photos that follow.
4. Always remember, we cannot hear unless we listen.
God bless you all.
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Dr. Donna Chacko promotes health of body, mind, and spirit through her website (serenityandhealth.com), her blog, and programs at her church. She is the author of the award-winning book and Amazon best-seller Pilgrimage: A Doctor’s Healing Journey (Luminare Press, 2021). You can read her full bio here.
Quiet snow, January 2019
St. Francis in our yard, wearing his winter cape.
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Additional Reading
It is not crazy to sit in silence doing nothing. Wise and holy men and women have always done it.