STOP
Today our people and cities offer a climate not very appropriate for someone who wants to seek a little peace and quiet in order to meet themselves and God. It’s not easy to free ourselves from the pervasive noise and constant harassment of all kinds of calls and messages. In addition, the worries, problems and hurry of each day whip us around, scarcely allowing us to be in control of our own lives.
Not even in our own home, invaded by television and scenes of multiple tensions, is it easy to find the tranquility and recollection indispensible to find ourselves or to joyfully relax with God.
Okay then, precisely in these moments when we need places of silence, recollection and prayer more than ever, we believers frequently keep our temples and churches closed for most of the day.
We’ve forgotten what it means to stop, interrupt our hurry for a few minutes, free ourselves of our tensions for a few moments and allow ourselves to be penetrated by the silence and calm of sacred ground. Many men and women get surprised to discover that frequently it’s enough to stand still and be silent for a determined amount of time, in order to quiet the spirit and recover lucidity and peace.
How much we men and women need today to find the silence that helps us to enter into contact with our very selves in order to recover our freedom and to rescue once again all our inner energy.
Accustomed to noise and agitation, we don’t suspect the well-being of silence and being alone. Eager for news, images and impressions, we’ve forgotten that we only are nourished and truly enriched by what we’re capable of listening to in the deepest depths of our being.
Without that inner silence, you can’t hear God, recognize God’s presence in your life and grow from within as a human being and as a believer. According to Jesus, people «draw what is good from the store of goodness in their hearts». Goodness doesn’t spring forth from us spontaneously. We need to cultivate it and make it grow in the depth of our heart. Many people would start to transform their lives if they happen to stop to listen to all the good that God is stirring up in their heart.
José Antonio Pagola
Translator: Fr. Jay VonHandorf
