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| (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
“In modern society,
silence has come into disrepute; this is the symptom of a serious worrisome
illness. The real questions of life are posed in silence. Our blood flows
through our veins without making any noise, and we can hear our heartbeats only
in silence.”
*****
It does not matter how young or
old one is. There is no better feeling than allowing one’s exhausted body to
fall gently into the comforting embrace of a form fitting mattress and pillow.
O night, what a gift from God you
are!
O darkness, how soothing and
refreshing you can be!
It may take some time to let the instant
replays of the joys and tribulations and the successes and failures of the day
rumble through our minds, but they will. Then in the din of darkness and the
silence of the night, sleep arrives.
For years, I treasured this great
gift though sometimes fitfully so. I nary gave a thought to what might be
happening while I slept.
But all that changed when I was
invited to get up at 2 AM on Friday mornings and spend some time with a Friend.
I discovered then that the silence of the night had something compelling to
offer trusting souls who would venture out into it.
Silence, I was to learn, was
often wasted on the sleeping!
In the silence of the night you
can feel, hear and see things that often go unappreciated or unnoticed in the
noisy daylight hours: the bitter bite of artic cold; the crackling of half
frozen snow pounded upon by the weight of crushing boots; the piercing screams
of a plastic scrapper chiseling off the thick ice cemented to a car’s
windshield and windows; the roar of a near frozen car engine attempting to turn
over; the pure, white untrampled, virgin snow, awaiting the traffic of feet,
car tires and snow plows, the blowing wind, the bright diamond-like stars
pinned to the sky that loiters over us, the swiftly moving whishing clouds
illuminated by the moon, the foot tracks of chilly rabbits seeking shelter from
the cold, or a symphony of chirping birds.
But all these gifts were just a
prelude to the Treasure I would encounter a mere quarter mile from my home. The
drive there was quiet and quick. I had made this trip countless times before
but never in the silence of the night.
“In
silence there is a collaboration between man and God.”
*****
I entered the security code to
access the interior of the Church. The entrance corridor to this Sacred Space was
dark save for one very small light fixture that partially illuminated my path.
When I opened the chapel door, I saw the flickering flame of the sanctuary lamp
proudly proclaiming the presence of my loving Lord.
(Photo©Michael Seagriff)
“I Thirst” were
the words affixed to the front of the Tabernacle, letting me know that He, Who
created me, was thirsting for my visit and my love. I opened the Tabernacle
doors and fell to my knees.
I looked at Him; He gazed back at
me. A blanket of sacred stillness and silence wrapped Itself around me.
Not an audible syllable was
uttered between us that night. Yet I “heard” His silent voice whispering to my
heart. I knew from the peace that He showered upon me that He heard my soundless
responses and pleas as well.
Two hearts - one Divine, the
other human - talking silently in the night.
“We encounter God only in the eternal silence in which
he abides. Have you ever heard the voice of God as you hear mine?
Listen to the sounds of silence!
[All italicized quotations are from The Power of Silence – Against the
Dictatorship of Noise
by Robert Cardinal Sarah]
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