In the text, Fr. Chalmers presents a Lectio Divina of all the passages in the bible that include Mary, the Mother of God. He has reflections on the five steps of read, reflect, respond, rest and act. In his observations on the fourth step of resting he has some great insights on the spiritual life as observed in the context of the Carmelite tradition. I will be using these reflections for our “Bit of Wisdom” selections and reflections.
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Pp. 38-39 “The mystery of evil stalks our world. When we are really honest we can glimpse the possibility for every evil in the depths of our own heart. That can be shocking, but is in fact liberating. We no longer self-righteously condemn other people, but we can understand that their actions are the result of a chain of events, some of which were out of their control. We begin to love the sinner while still hating the sin. Because we realize ‘there but for the grace of God go I’. While continuing to struggle against evil in all its forms, we leave all judgement to God. Condemnation of others is destructive of our own peace. When we go to prayer we can take all these concerns and issues and place them in God’s hands for we are certainly not going to solve them. Our best approach is silence, for in silence we become gradually conformed to the mind of ChristSilence, however, is not easy to attain, and when we eventually achieve some silence it is not at all easy to maintain. First of all, what is so good about silence? Why should we want to be silent? In Psalm 62 we are invited to wait in silence for God. We are surrounded by so much noise that it is difficult for us to discern God’s voice. Therefore, the first reason to seek some silence in our life is that it helps us swim through the deluge of words in daily life and helps us follow where God is drawing us. Many words and noise of various descriptions can be used as a barrier against what we do not want to hear. When we pray, we are entering into a relationship with God. We hope that God listens to us and we should reciprocate by listening to what God wants to say to us. Of course, God speaks through the Bible and the sacraments, but God also speaks in many other ways – through the people we meet and the situation in which we find ourselves, as well as in the problems of our world, big and small.”
My Reflection:
Thomas Merton coined a powerful phrase that helps us understand the need for silence. The phrase was “the tyranny of diversion.” In this statement he pointed out the powerful forces in Western consumer culture that constantly draw us away from silence. We are wired to continually seek one distraction or another. We just do not like silence. If it is not the radio in the car or TV at home, it is the ever-present pull of internet and its compulsive social media in all it various manifestations.Merton’s phrase, “tyranny of diversion”, is a good challenge for us to examine how many times we fill the void of silence with some form of action that disrupts our possible silence whether by sound or words. For most of us, this leaves little time for silence.
Chalmers’ invitation for us is to open ourselves to the rich promises of silence. In silence, we have the potential, and with practice, the likelihood, of hearing God’s call for us. We need to understand that the most important part of mature prayer is listening. To listen, we need silence. We not only can discern God’s call in the Scriptures but with silent reflection on the experience of life where God speaks to us. God is present in our relationships, our joys and difficulties, and especially in the hunger in our heart for the real. Without silence, we fail to have the word of God conveying the message to us.
“Silence is golden” is a saying we hear from time to time. Silence is golden expresses a reality we need to embrace to encounter God.
Reflection Two:
From John welch, O. Carm.’s The Carmelite Way“A foundational theme running throughout the Carmelite tradition is that of listening, being attentive. Any life, any work on behalf of people, begins by asking, “What is God doing?” Before any of activity, God is at work approaching our world with a life-giving love. Over and over the Carmelite tradition encourages an awareness of the presence of this Mystery and a receptivity to the demands of such love. In other words, the work of justice begins in contemplation.
If contemplation may be understood as an openness to God’s transforming love, no matter how God is approaching us, then it is a foundational human activity. It will do no good to build our kingdoms if they are not also on the way to being God’s kingdom.
The traditional values of silence and solitude, recommended to the first Carmelite in their Rule, were not meant to isolate men or lead them to self-absorption. Silence and solitude are essential conditions for listening. Teresa of Avila complained that preoccupations in her life made such a clamor that it was difficult to hear the gentle whistle of the shepherd emanating from the center of her castle. Silence and solitude become interior conditions which make all the activity and work of our lives porous to God’s spirit.”
