Silence is a Gift

"Enter into your heart, as the Prophet Isaiah says. And, if you have faith, you will find Christ there. There He speaks to you.

I, the preacher, must raise my voice when I speak to you. But Christ instructs you more effectively in silence."

- Sermon by St. Augustine

I read this part of St. Augustines sermon one morning after mass. All was quiet, and only a few people were left in the chapel. It is amazing what a few moments of silence can do for the soul. A peace enfolds you, a peace you can't feel when surrounded by the distractions of the outside world. A lot of us tend to be constantly plugged in to some sort of media/technology. Todays gadgets have made it so easy to be distracted, which prevents us from putting ourselves in the presence of God even for a few minutes. We have apps for our phones for every little thing, even ones that are supposed to help us pray. Now I have nothing against them per se, but using them distracts us from placing or full attention on God. I have seen people using their apps in church, some of them were prayer related, but some were not. Even in church we are plugged in! For some people it may help them to focus on what they can do to pray, but is it what they should be doing? How can we hear Christ speak to us when we are distracted? We might miss His loving words because we cannot be silent to ourselves and let Him speak.

Being a very active child, I had a terrible time sitting still and concentrating on anything for very long. I had my little books to read in church, but my family would always make sure I was aware of Christ in the tabernacle or present on the altar. I learned to be silent and listen, even if it was only for a minute. Now that I am older, I see the good it does me to just let Christ take hold of me without any exterior items. Advent has begun, and in this time of preparation for the birth of our Savior, I am going to try and be like Mary and just be "silent" with God, to let Him speak to me without my asking for anything or complaining. I'm not looking for a physical voice to start booming at me, but just knowing that He is there with me is so refreshing. God cares for each and every one of us. Let us give Him the time to show us the path he has planned for us, even if it is just 5-minutes everyday, in or out of church. If we have time for gadgets, we certainly should have time for God. =)