Full moon setting over the Tucson Mountains
The Simple Path
Silence > Prayer > Faith > Love > Service > Peace
The Simple Path
Silence > Prayer > Faith > Love > Service > Peace
Be still before the Lord,
and wait patiently for him.
Psalm 37:7
and wait patiently for him.
Psalm 37:7
Holy Silence
At a Catholic Church I attended, after communion the Pastor would sometimes lie in silence before the altar and the cross for several minutes. It was as quiet as over a thousand people can be—no music playing, nobody speaking—just a deep, holy silence in which we could seek to connect with God’s presence within us. This was one of the most spiritual moments I ever experienced in a church!
A Scarce Commodity
Silence can be hard to come by these days. It seems like someone passed a law that says everywhere we go there has to be a television blaring away. If you arrive at your gate at the airport early, in addition to the many televisions, you are treated to almost continuous “public service” announcements, along with the noise of people around you talking on their phones. In many homes there are one or more televisions going at all times, and family members not watching TV are often listening to music through their earbuds.
Silence is even a scare commodity in most churches. The Mass or service can seem like a carefully crafted and organized show that smoothly proceeds from the opening song to the closing prayer. The choir or worship team is often over amplified to the point that in some churches I literally can’t hear myself sing, let alone hear the voices of those around me. This always makes me very sad, because I love to sing, and I especially love to hear the voices of my brothers and sisters in Christ lifted in praise around me, whether they are in tune or not.
The Battle for Internal Silence
Even if we manage to find a totally silent place in which to pray, we are then subjected to the constant chatter in our minds. Soon after I start to pray, I will realize that my mind has already wandered off to some unrelated topic, so I start again, and again my mind wanders off. What is supposed to be a peaceful time with God can become a frustrating battle to stay focused on God and silence the voices in my mind.
Why Silence is Important
Being a disciple of Jesus Christ means being in a loving relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. For any loving relationship to be successful, both people must seek to understand each other. God has a huge advantage here, as He knew us before we were born, and He knows our every thought before we are aware of it ourselves. On the other hand, it can be difficult for us to understand and follow God’s will for us, because “His ways are not our ways,” to the point that they often seem crazy to us. On top of that, God gives us total free will, so He does not force Himself on us, but waits patiently for us to say “yes” to Him, opening our hearts to Him and seeking His will for us.
To make it even more interesting, God is silence itself. When Elijah was waiting for God to pass by on Mount Horeb, God was not in the great wind, or in the earthquake, or in the fire. It was only when there was the “sound of sheer silence” that Elijah wrapped his face in his mantle and stood at the entrance of the cave.
To listen to sheer silence, we need to be silent ourselves. As Bernadette Roberts, a Catholic educator and former nun, says, “The truest communication with God is absolute, total silence; there is not a single word in existence that can convey this communication.” This is also what the scriptures tell us:
Psalm 37:7 – Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him.
Psalm 46:10 – Be still, and know that I am God!
Psalm 62:1 – For God alone my soul waits in silence.
Psalm 4:4 – When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent.
Is 30:15 – In quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
Lamentations 3:26 – It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Achieving Silence
Silence comes first on the Simple Path, because silence is the necessary precondition for prayer to God, and especially for hearing God speak to us. The lessons in the Little Lessons on Surrender present prayers and methods for achieving both external and internal silence. As always when we face a difficult task, the first step is to seek God’s help:
Heavenly Father, You know how hard it is for us to achieve either external or internal silence. In our journey to Your peace that passes all understanding, please help us to regularly find external silence in our noisy world, and to achieve internal silence in our chattering minds, so that we can hear your still, small voice within us, and follow Your will as You make it clear to us. Amen
Consider/Discuss:
- Do you actively seek times of silence during each day?
- Where have you been able to find silence in your life?
- Do you turn off the television and other media when you are not actively using them?
Scripture Memory Verse
Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Ps 37:7
Let's Pray! - Two Prayers for Silence
More on Silence
At a Catholic Church I attended, after communion the Pastor would sometimes lie in silence before the altar and the cross for several minutes. It was as quiet as over a thousand people can be—no music playing, nobody speaking—just a deep, holy silence in which we could seek to connect with God’s presence within us. This was one of the most spiritual moments I ever experienced in a church!
A Scarce Commodity
Silence can be hard to come by these days. It seems like someone passed a law that says everywhere we go there has to be a television blaring away. If you arrive at your gate at the airport early, in addition to the many televisions, you are treated to almost continuous “public service” announcements, along with the noise of people around you talking on their phones. In many homes there are one or more televisions going at all times, and family members not watching TV are often listening to music through their earbuds.
Silence is even a scare commodity in most churches. The Mass or service can seem like a carefully crafted and organized show that smoothly proceeds from the opening song to the closing prayer. The choir or worship team is often over amplified to the point that in some churches I literally can’t hear myself sing, let alone hear the voices of those around me. This always makes me very sad, because I love to sing, and I especially love to hear the voices of my brothers and sisters in Christ lifted in praise around me, whether they are in tune or not.
The Battle for Internal Silence
Even if we manage to find a totally silent place in which to pray, we are then subjected to the constant chatter in our minds. Soon after I start to pray, I will realize that my mind has already wandered off to some unrelated topic, so I start again, and again my mind wanders off. What is supposed to be a peaceful time with God can become a frustrating battle to stay focused on God and silence the voices in my mind.
Why Silence is Important
Being a disciple of Jesus Christ means being in a loving relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. For any loving relationship to be successful, both people must seek to understand each other. God has a huge advantage here, as He knew us before we were born, and He knows our every thought before we are aware of it ourselves. On the other hand, it can be difficult for us to understand and follow God’s will for us, because “His ways are not our ways,” to the point that they often seem crazy to us. On top of that, God gives us total free will, so He does not force Himself on us, but waits patiently for us to say “yes” to Him, opening our hearts to Him and seeking His will for us.
To make it even more interesting, God is silence itself. When Elijah was waiting for God to pass by on Mount Horeb, God was not in the great wind, or in the earthquake, or in the fire. It was only when there was the “sound of sheer silence” that Elijah wrapped his face in his mantle and stood at the entrance of the cave.
To listen to sheer silence, we need to be silent ourselves. As Bernadette Roberts, a Catholic educator and former nun, says, “The truest communication with God is absolute, total silence; there is not a single word in existence that can convey this communication.” This is also what the scriptures tell us:
Psalm 37:7 – Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him.
Psalm 46:10 – Be still, and know that I am God!
Psalm 62:1 – For God alone my soul waits in silence.
Psalm 4:4 – When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent.
Is 30:15 – In quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
Lamentations 3:26 – It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Achieving Silence
Silence comes first on the Simple Path, because silence is the necessary precondition for prayer to God, and especially for hearing God speak to us. The lessons in the Little Lessons on Surrender present prayers and methods for achieving both external and internal silence. As always when we face a difficult task, the first step is to seek God’s help:
Heavenly Father, You know how hard it is for us to achieve either external or internal silence. In our journey to Your peace that passes all understanding, please help us to regularly find external silence in our noisy world, and to achieve internal silence in our chattering minds, so that we can hear your still, small voice within us, and follow Your will as You make it clear to us. Amen
Consider/Discuss:
- Do you actively seek times of silence during each day?
- Where have you been able to find silence in your life?
- Do you turn off the television and other media when you are not actively using them?
Scripture Memory Verse
Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Ps 37:7
Let's Pray! - Two Prayers for Silence
More on Silence