“After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave” (1 Kings 19:12-13).
Dear Marian Helpers and Members of our Marian Family,
There are many things that we fear. Some fears are obvious, such as spiders or snakes. Others are deeper, like loneliness, uncertainty, or losing control. But I wonder if many of us are also afraid of silence.
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples, “Do not be afraid,” and calls them to be ready for His coming. But how can we be ready to recognise His voice if our lives are never quiet enough to hear it?
Modern life is filled with constant noise. We turn to the television, YouTube, or our phones whenever there is a quiet moment. Sometimes we even fill the silence with good and holy things: Christian music, one homily after another, or every parish activity or prayer group we can find. These are all wonderful gifts. But if we use them to avoid silence rather than draw us closer to God, perhaps they are not serving the purpose they should.
It’s often in the silence that the Lord speaks most clearly. It’s there that He heals our wounds, strengthens our hearts, and gently pricks our consciences. Even when storms arise in our lives, we still need those quiet moments with Him.
Someone once observed that an inability to embrace silence can be a sign of a deeper spiritual problem. I think there’s deep wisdom in those words. A spiritual life built only on activity eventually runs dry. If we wish to grow, we need a foundation of prayer, especially silent prayer and meditation.
That doesn’t mean prayer groups, talks, music or conversations are bad. Not at all! They are valuable helps on our journey of faith. But we should occasionally ask ourselves: Am I turning to these because they are helping me grow closer to God…or because they are helping me avoid being alone with Him?
Jesus tells us not to be afraid and to keep watch for His coming. The best way to remain watchful is to become familiar with His voice. The more time we spend listening to Him in prayer, the more readily we will recognise Him when He speaks through the promptings of the Holy Spirit or in the events of our daily lives.
This week, I encourage you to spend just five minutes a day in silence. Put the phone aside. Turn off the music. Don’t worry about finding the right words. Simply sit quietly in God’s presence. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but no time spent with the Lord is ever wasted. In that silence, the Holy Spirit quietly goes to work, drawing us ever closer to the heart of Christ.
May God bless you now and always!
Fr Alex Pumphrey, MIC
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Contact Father Alex at info@divinemercy.org.uk
Please send us your prayer intentions! (click here). We will place them at the foot of our altar in the Divine Mercy Apostolate’s Chapel here in West Ealing, London and will remember them in our daily Chaplets of Divine Mercy
