The Sanctuary of Silence

Communion with God in the silence of the heart is a God-given capacity! Like the flower that blooms or the bird that can fly, you and I were made for union with God.You and I were created to be united with God.The Lord said, “...one thing is necessary (needful), and Mary has chosen that good...it will not be taken away” (Luke 10:42).There are many things to do, but only “one” that is necessary. To be with Him, to sit at His feet, to be aware of our union with Him, this is the “one thing necessary.”“....we must fly to our beloved homeland. There the Father is, and there is everything.” St. Augustine. He is everything! He is life, love and light!We were created, and called to commune with God. We are distracted and that distraction is overcome as we move towards home. Contemplation is the journey home!Maggie Ross says, “Salvation is about silence.” We enter the land of silence by the silence of surrender, and there is no real map of silence that is surrender. We are called to “walk by faith and not by sight,” (2 Cor. 5:7). Contemplation is the practice of silence! Even as I write this I realize that it is more than a practice or a technique.A technique or a practice may suggest that we can perfect something, when in reality we never perfect anything, but merely allow something mysterious to take place, or on a base level “have space”.Think with me... a gardner doesn’t really grow plants, he simply applies certain practices that facilitate a growth that is truly outside and beyond his control.The Psalmist calls us, “...to be still and know.” To practice “silence.” To practice “paying attention.” To facilitate another! To host! To intentionally nurture the interior silence that allows Him room to be Himself in the midst of our lives.St. Augustine calls us “home.” “From the noise that is around us to the joys that are silent. Why do we rush about... looking for God who is here at home with us, if all we want is to be with Him?”Enter into the sanctuary of silence!