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(attributed to Ingrid Goff-Maidoff, from Healing Meme Therapy on FB)
Let’s not miss those “conversations”, eh? When God speaks without words.
It’s easy for some of us to think our faith, or spiritual practice, pretty much all comes down to words, or even to arguments. But that’s pretty shallow.
Words are important. Quite important. But I bet we’d find it worth taking 5 to 15 minutes every day or two to just be, silently, very well aware of God in our surroundings. Even our “man-made” surroundings are a consequence of the prior creative activity and love of whatever Immense, Un-graspable, Universal, Immanent, Loving Force is behind all this. It’s good to notice that, even to dwell on it. Even to make our yappy “monkey minds” sit down and shut up for a bit while we just notice. Awareness is closely related to knowledge and to participation — even to love itself.
Such a habit could be expected to incrementally make it easier, and more frequent, to actually love what God loves. Loving God, and loving what God loves, does require noticing — that is truly seeing those things and people — as we go through our varied days. It’s pretty important.
Wisdom in Words:
Here are a couple of somewhat related quotes I try to keep close to mind.
Silence is God’s first language. Everything else is a poor translation.
– Thomas Keating.
We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness.
God is the friend of silence.
See how nature – trees, flowers, grass – grows in silence;
see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence …
We need silence to be able to touch souls.
-Teresa of Avila
Maybe it can be more crudely but clearly expressed something like this: “When God is speaking, shut up and listen.”
See Also:
– The Quiet Places in Our Lives Make Our Public Activity Much Safer
– A number of posts on various spiritual practices.
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Questions for us:
1.How and to what extent is the practice of times of alert silence a part of your life, and of your spiritual foundations?
2. What kinds of blessings, or comfort, guidance, or strength, if any, do you get from some regularity in practicing times of silence?
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