How do we face God in prayer and silence?
Catechism Meditation:
“Contemplative prayer is silence, the ‘symbol of the world to come’ or ‘silent love.’ Words in this kind of prayer are not speeches; they are like kindling that feeds the fire of love. In this silence, unbearable to the ‘outer’ man, the Father speaks to us his incarnate Word, who suffered, died, and rose; in this silence, the Spirit of adoption enables us to share in the prayer of Jesus.” ―No. 2717
REFLECTION. In our current day, the world constantly seeks to bombard us with noise and distraction. We often use our devices to listen to music or podcasts in our vehicles, in our homes, and in our earbuds. We regularly look at our smartphones to send or read text messages, to play mobile games, to watch YouTube videos, or to scroll through Facebook and other social media apps. We use our smart TVs to binge-watch a variety of shows and movies on streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, and yet, what does all of this do for us? What purpose does the noise serve? It serves as a distraction from hearing the voice of God in our hearts.
There is so much noise going on in our heads. We worry about everything and the noise of our own uncertainties can drown out the presence of God in our souls. We need to take time away from music, television, videos, news, and social media to sit in silence and listen to God. We are in a culture that conditions us to be comfortable with noise and distractions and uneasy with silence. Silence helps us to turn away from those noises and focus on God. Without silence, we struggle to know ourselves and who God created us to be. When our minds are constantly filled with outside stimuli, it becomes impossible to make space for the lessons that silence can teach us about God, about ourselves, and about His work in the world each day. In his book, When You Pray, Edward Sri says, “God’s voice is drowned out by so much unnecessary noise because staying connected on social media is more important to us than staying connected with the Lord throughout the day.”
To hear from God, you need to get away from life and spend time in silence. Start with five minutes a day and slowly increase the time until you are spending fifteen to twenty minutes each day in silence. Don’t try to think about God. Just let go. Just be with God. The goal of contemplative prayer is not the elimination of thoughts or words. The goal is openness to God. Try not to think of silence as an empty container into which God pours content. Instead, accept silence as its own form of communication. The ultimate goal is to empty your worries and cares to be in God’s presence. We often doubt if we are hearing from God until we learn to recognize the ways God speaks to us. Saint Teresa of Calcutta once said, “In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you. Then you will know that you are nothing. It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself. Souls of prayer are souls of great silence.” When we are faced with difficult situations we usually want to turn to noise and distractions. Instead of distracting ourselves, we need to limit the noise, turn off the devices, and take time to listen to God’s voice in the silence.
PRAYER. Dear God, quiet my heart and speak to me in the silence. Show me the importance of removing distractions to spend time in Your presence.
Timeless Wisdom Quote:
“Prayer begins by talking to God, but it ends by listening to Him. In the face of Absolute Truth, silence is the soul’s language.” ― Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen