Silence

“We need to find God, and God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence.” (Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta).

The Transfiguration (Martinelli)

Since I was a little girl, I have played the piano and sung.  I have studied classical music as a child and learned to play and sing.  One of the most important things about music is to learn how to read the music.  And in reading music the notes and their pitch and tone are as important as their placement and the silence in the music.

If we were to fill up all the rests in the music with noise, then we would end up with chaos and disharmony.

“Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah... Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah’ - not knowing what he said. As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.” (Luke 9:28b-36).

And I have been reflecting on those words of Saint Peter.  There he was – faced with God Himself in all His GLORY – and he could not be quiet for even a moment.  He was so overcome that he filled the silence with speech.  And I laugh when I read this story because it is exactly as I myself would do…  I would panic and fill the silence with speech because I would be too afraid to hold quietly in reflection and contemplation.  Now, for Saint Peter, the speech was actual talking, but for me it can look like scrolling through my phone, being distracted by my emails, looking at my computer.  There is no more silence in the world and this is causing chaos.

Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “We need to find God, and God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence.”

And I have been thinking about that today.  For that Saint lived a busy life.  She cared for thousands of people and was responsible for a charity that reached across the globe.  She was called into interviews and meetings and conversations numerous ties each day.  And yet she still managed to find time for silence.  She still managed to find time to be still in the presence of Our Blessed Lord.

And when I stop and think about that today it seems to me that Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta had a sort of discipline that I could only dream of.  And it seems to me that I need to ask her to pray for that Grace for me today…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.