SABBATH THE SOUND OF SILENCE The First Reading from the book of Daniel is one of the most beautiful prayers one can read in the Scriptures. It is beautiful in its sincerity and in its vulnerability, but most of all in its intimacy. No one “composes” such a prayer. Such a prayer can only be the product of a real encounter with God and a confrontation with one’s self in the stillness of silence. We have alienated silence from our souls. Walk down the street, watch the people in the buses and trains. I bet five in every 10 people you see will have earphones plugged into their ears. All day we listen to someone else’s words and lyrics. It is no wonder we can no longer hear ourselves and the God who speaks within. Occasional silence — silence that is fragile, artificial and shallow — will not do. What invites the heart to surface is the silence that is positively sought, cultivated and sensitive to presence, especially to Divine presence. Without this silence, we are as good as deaf. In San Carlos Seminary where I work, we presently have 140 candidates for the priesthood. San Carlos is the seminary of Manila but interestingly, only half of the community comes from Manila. Last year it was even less. The rest are from the provinces. Has God stopped calling His young men in Manila? I don’t think so. The case is not that God has stopped calling. I believe, it is that Manila no longer knows silence and can no longer hear the voice of God, the heartbeat of the God who calls. Manila has become so noisy and noise is not the language of love. Why do angry people shout at each other even when they are face to face? They have to because shouting is the external manifestation of two hearts that have gone distant from each another. But look at lovers. They whisper into each other’s ears. In fact, for those truly in love, words are not even necessary. Heart speaks to heart simply in silence. Why is silence the language of God? Because God is love. And one can only encounter genuine love when it is comfortable with silence. Fr. Joel Jason REFLECTION QUESTION: Spend a moment today listening only to your own heartbeat. Soon enough you might “hear” God’s heart speaking to your own. What is He telling you? Speak, Lord, to the depths of my heart. When I don’t seem to be listening, nudge me a bit harder.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 06:50:16 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015