Blog by Associate Mary Ellen George, OPA[/caption]
For someone with a lifelong hearing problem, I am amused by how much I crave silence. I find that silence calms me down and allows me to linger in the warm embrace of God. I am known to turn off my hearing aids not only to silence the noise around me but so that I can enter into that divine space of quiet where God rests within me. This space is the place where I find focus, clarity, peace, and energy for my day's work.
On the other end of the spectrum, I find instrumental and contemporary Christian music gives me that same moment of peace and inspiration to fuel my day and to soothe my soul. So I guess the mix of silence and music, two opposites, can lead us to the same place of being with our God.
What I'm sharing is not profound or new but it is in the ordinariness of silence and music that we can experience profound joy. And it is often in the ordinary moments and activities of our day where the presence of God is manifested. This profundity of the ordinariness of life is what Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century Carmelite monk, speaks about in his small, little book, The Practice of the Presence of God. In his collection of stories and letters, Brother Lawrence helps us to see God in every aspect of our life, from doing dishes as a reverent way of serving one another and being an instrument of love, to being present to another and bringing God’s presence to each other in an act of listening.
We are reminded in Ecclesiastes 3:7 that there is "a time to keep silent, and a time to speak." Being quiet can be a struggle but it can also be a blessing. It is in the struggle and in the restlessness that we can experience the presence of and longing for God. So I invite you to linger in silence, to take a moment to be in the presence of God, and then to listen to your favorite music as another means of letting God speak to your heart and of being with God. No words necessary. Just being present is enough.
Through My Headphones:
"Sound of Silence" - Simon & Garfunkel
If you find God calling you in the silence of your heart to religious life, we invite you to contact one of our Vocation Ministers. 