Seeking Silence

Finding God in Silence

“...God is found in silence. See how nature—trees, flowers, grass—grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and sun, how they move in silence...We need silence to be able to touch souls.”

                                       Mother Teresa

I went to a wedding last week, and to the reception afterward. The church was packed all the way to the balcony. The reception was in an old warehouse downtown that has been converted into an event space. From the time I walked into the reception, until I left two hours later, my ears were assault by noise. A DJ was playing music, four or five-hundred people were laughing, dancing and talking. I could not hear the people huddled next to me at table even though we were yelling into each others ears. When I walked out, I was hoarse from yelling and my ears rang. Yes, it was a happy throng, and celebratory noise, but even so, deafening.

There is hardly anywhere in the United States that one can go to get away from human noise. I can only imagine what that means for countries more crowded than this one. The one place I remember going where noise could not filter through was the desert of southern New Mexico. I recall hiking out from our base camp on an autumn afternoon and being keenly aware that the only sound was the humming of the wind. I understood then why people have been going to the desert for spiritual retreats since time immemorial. The silence supports going deep and listening for the still, small voice of God.

In these first few days of the new year, it is good to seek out silence for contemplation. Silence encourages us to inside and pray without distractions for the year ahead, for our own lives, the lives of those we love, and for the world at large. I heard a statistic recently that felt like a punch in the face. In the world right now, there are more than 45.2-million refugees living in dreadfully inadequate conditions, and most of them are children. Our world needs our help and our prayers. Today, contemplate in silence how you may be able to touch souls.

                                         In the Spirit,

                                              Jane