Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Although being able to hear is an amazing gift, I have noticed that much of our daily living is filled with lots of noise. There is the television where the sound level goes up even higher during the commercials. There are the car radios blasting so loud that at times it rocks the car next to it. And then there are the cell phones buzzing, chirping and ringing. When you add to this the normal noises of people talking, babies crying, machines cranking it is hard to find a place of silence to hear the voice of God. Today’s readings remind us that sometimes it is important to get away from the busyness of life and go to places where we can allow the Spirit to open our minds and speak His words of love and courage.
In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear of the many travels of St. Paul to the various communities that he visited to share the Good News. The details of his travels describe a busy schedule going from one town to the next. In Philippi, on the Sabbath, Paul goes “outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer.” (Acts 16: 13) He recognizes the need to get away from the busy and noisy city life and find a quiet place for God. At the river, he meets other people who have also come to find this peace. One of the women who was listening to Paul’s words came to believe. She “listened and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying.” (Acts 16:14) Lydia was able to hear what Paul was preaching because God opened her mind, but she also had placed herself in a ready position to be open to hear what was said. By removing herself from the busy life of the city and finding a place of rest and quiet, she helped prepare herself to receive the movement of the Spirit.
In the gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that He is sending the Advocate, “the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father.” (John 15: 27) Jesus assures His disciples that the Spirit will bear witness to Him- “he will testify to me.” (John 15:27) The Spirit will not only strengthen their faith, but give them courage for the challenges that were to come. Jesus warns the disciples that ‘the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God.” (John 16:2) Jesus understands that the disciples will need to be filled with this Spirit to continue carrying on the work of His kingdom, since the Spirit will give them power and truth they need to be His followers.
There are many instances in the gospels where we hear that Jesus “went up into the hills by himself to pray.” (Mt 14:23) Jesus teaches us by His example of the need to remove ourselves from the noisy and hectic pace of daily living in order to spend time with God. I imagine that when Jesus went away by Himself He found some beautiful areas overlooking the Sea of Galilee where He rested and found in the silence the comforting words of His Father. Like Jesus, we need to remove ourselves to hear God speak. We are also like the disciples and have great need to be filled with the Spirit to be able to live with courage and grace in the midst of these challenging times. It is in our quiet prayer, that we allow God’s Spirit to speak to us, and encourage us on our journeys. Many times we believe that it takes great effort to pray, but in fact it really involves resting, being open and listening where the noise of the world does not get in the way. The following poem by Mary Oliver summarizes well that prayer involves a simple awareness or attentiveness usually found in silence. The rest is up to God, and He has so much He wants to share with us.
Prayer
It doesn’t have to be
The blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak. (Mary Oliver)
May we seek places where we can find quiet and rest in God’s presence, so He can open our minds and fill us with His Spirit. Filled with His Spirit may we go out and share Him with the world. We pray this in Christ’s name. AMEN
Marylynn Herchline