Men's Rosary

We have all experienced a person who speaks non-stop.  The person who seems not to even need to breathe to speak, they just go and go and go!  How might we respond to that person?  Usually, avoidance is the remedy. I propose that there is a much bigger problem than a person or two like this.  The problem is the world!  It never shuts up!  It is constantly speaking.  It speaks through the phone we carry everywhere.  It makes us on demand for the world and everyone in it.  It speaks through the targeted ads, internet content, our radio, you name it.  Why would we avoid an overtalkative person but not the world around us?  There is no difference.  As long as our ear is being pummeled by the messages of the world, they will be deaf to God’s word, or at best significantly impaired.  And the worlds message is of no use to our spiritual well-being because it is deaf to God.  “Our world no longer hears God because it is constantly speaking, at a devastating speed and volume, in order to say nothing.”  (Cardinal RobertSarah) 

Consider turning off the noise of the world.  Have a day void of the cell phone.  I strive  to make Sunday that day.  There have been times when I left my phone at home and went to work.  They were some of the most productive, peaceful, and enjoyable days on the job.  Years ago, I decided to leave my phone in the vehicle while at a movie or dinner with my wife or family.  The world is very intruding and rude, why not deny it the chance?  I do not play the radio while driving.  Many of the songs today are not very good to listen to and the commercials are awful!  I use this time for prayer.  I pray the Rosary or just have a conversation with God.  The point I make is that noise is not what we need, rather, it is silence.  God invites us to stillness and silence.  “Be still and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!”  (Psalm 46:10) 

Silence is a crucial part to our spiritual health and relationship with God.  Every time we pray, we should put ourselves in God’s presence in silence and stillness.  Even in the Mass we are to meet God in reverent silence.  “Sacred silence as part of the celebration, is to be observed at the designated times.  Its purpose, however, depends on the time it occurs in each part of the celebration.  Thus, within the Act of Penitence and again after the invitation to pray, all recollect themselves; but at the conclusion of a reading or the homily, all meditate briefly on what they have heard;  then after Communion, they praise and pray to God in their hearts.  Even before the celebration itself, it is commendable that silence be observed in the church, in the sacristy, in the vesting room, and in adjacent areas, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred action in a devout and fitting manner.” (#45 General Instruction of the Roman Missal) 

Perhaps we can examine how we approach the Mass.  That silence and stillness can start on our way there.  And as we come into the church, we can be mindful of who it is there to welcome us and enter that space in a greater sense of awe, praise, and worship.  “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”  (Habakkuk 2:20)  We should not be coming to “get” something, rather to “give something, our praise and worship delivered in a veil of silence.  This is how God communicates with us.  “Silence is God’s first language.” (St. John of the Cross)  Lets come to him on his terms.

In our personal prayer life, we should embrace silence more.  All the vocal prayers and Novenas are wonderful and proper in their place, but nothing compares to sitting quietly with God and listening to his voice and discerning his will in our life.  It can be challenging but it is of immense importance.  We need to set the world aside and quiet our thoughts,  as St. Teresa of Avila says – “tame the wild horses” – and be in God’s presence.  In being repentant of our sins and failings and resting quietly with God we will find the strength to persevere in our faith and make the right decisions in our families, our businesses, our jobs, and in all areas of life.  “For thus says the Lord God, the  Holy One of Israel, in returning and rest you shall be saved, in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”  (Isaiah 30:15) 

In our interactions with others, we need to be more present.  We were all created in the image of God.  If Jesus were sitting in front of us or having dinner with us, would we be looking at our phones, watching the news or a movie?  Would we be going about our work?  I hope the answer is no!  So why do we do this to any others who are made in his image?  St. Teresa of Calcutta reminds us to serve the person nearest to us.  We need to be careful not to let distractions keep us from doing that.

We also need to avoid being part of the noise of the world.  Our actions and speech can add to that noise.  If we act or speak contrary to what our faith dictates, we are projecting worldly noise.  We are saying a bunch of nothing.  How are we conducting ourselves at Mass?  How are we treating others?  How often do we share the Good News with others?  How often do we pray?  And probably the best practice we can have, or start is Adoration and making a Holy Hour.  Too often Adoration is just a short few minutes, like checking off the box that says, “went to Adoration.”  Embrace the opportunity and spend time with Jesus, present in the Blessed Sacrament in silence and intimately.  Let him speak to you.  We do not want to be the rambling and chatty one in prayer.  Let God do some of the talking!

Even though life is busy and we must fulfill our obligations, we can make life less noisy.  We can instill silence in our day and retreat inward at any time.  At  the end of each day, we can pause to place ourselves in God’s presence, giving thanks for all he has blessed us with, offer repentance for our shortcomings and sin, and spend time listening for his voice.

“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness.  God is the friend of silence.”  (Pope St. John Paul II)