This is not news to anyone: in today’s world it is hard to find a little peace and quiet. It is not easy to avoid the constant harassment of all kinds of calls and messages. The worries and hurry of each day take up a lot of our attention. Not even in our own homes, pervaded by television, telephone, and digital media, is it easy to find the tranquility and recollection we long for. How might we begin to see in a new way our legitimate “need” to be alone, to be at peace, and to relax with God?
Have we forgotten what it means to pause, interrupt our hurry, free our minds for a few moments, and let ourselves be penetrated by the silence and calm of sacred space? Have we forgotten how important it is to stand (or sit) still and be silent for a short time? Is there any hope that we can rediscover our ability to quiet our hearts and return to God’s light and peace? We really do need to somehow re-create the silence that helps us to enter into contact with our very selves, so that we might recover our freedom from all the “stuff” … and rescue our energy and enthusiasm.
Growing so accustomed to noise and agitation, we don’t appreciate the “wellness” that can come from silence and being alone. Eager for news, images, and impressions, we’ve forgotten how to be nourished and enriched in the deepest depths of our being. But not all hope is lost!
Sunday, the “Day of the Lord” is ideally a day of rest and re-creation. It reminds us that with some inner silence, we can begin to hear God again, we can begin to recognize the Divine presence in our lives again, and we can grow from within as human beings and as believers.
According to Jesus, people draw goodness from the store of goodness in their hearts (The Sermon on the Plain, Luke 6). But goodness doesn’t blossom without help. We need to cultivate it and make it grow. Can you imagine how our lives would blossom if we slowed down a little bit, turned off all the “stuff,” and stopped to notice what God is stirring up in our hearts?
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Let us pray, especially for an end to the war and violence which, so unjustly, have been visited upon the people of Ukraine: “God of power and mercy, you have the power to destroy war and put down earthly pride. Banish violence from our midst, wipe away the tears of all who are saddened by the tragedies of our world, and keep all people (especially the people of Ukraine) safe from the weapons of hate. We pray in the name of your Son, the prince of Peace, who lives and reigns with you forever and ever. Amen.” Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us.
