Deacon Tom Writes,
The Language of God
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Elijah is awestruck to realize that God presented himself in the “tiny whispering sound.” After hearing this sound Elijah “hid his face in his cloak.” Perhaps this is why so many of us struggle with our spirituality today. It is so difficult for us to find quiet space and idle time in our busy lives. We have so many demands being made of us at us during our waking hours. We feel “bombarded at times. Technology has delivered so many digital highways to entertain us 24/7. There is no “free” time; there is no shortage of things to do. More than ever before, our very well being requires that we make a conscious decision to seek out a quiet place and set ourselves apart from the rapid pace of life. I don’t see any other way of being able to hear that “tiny whispering sound” through which God reaches out to us so he can be a part of our lives. Our spiritual lives require that we make a conscious decision to let him into our lives.
In his autobiography, Seven Story Mountain, Thomas Merton tells how he was able to find true freedom not in the world but rather within the confines of the four walls of a monastic cell. It was there in the silence of the Trappist Monastery that he experienced the “tiny whispering sound” that enabled him to find himself and to find God.
Now we all aren’t as fortunate as Thomas Merton to be able to head off to the solitude of a Cistercian Monastery. But, as fate would have it, Covid-19 created the necessity for us to break out of our daily routine and subject ourselves to a self-imposed isolation to various degrees. Although this action was imposed on us because of medical necessity, it did give many the chance to imitate Merton in finding that quiet place and setting aside some of that period of isolation to hear the “tiny whispering sound” of God piercing through the din of the world to make his presence known to us. For it is only in this silence, this strange language of God, that we are able to hear his voice. “In silence” it is said, “we hear the voice of God”.
God bless and keep you always!
Deacon Tom
Please Visit www.deaconspod.com where you will find contemporary conversations with several Paulist Deacon Affiliates and their guests exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold of our church… those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.
OTHER RESOURCE
Recommended Reading: American Catholics: A History of the Roman Catholic Community in the United States by James Hennesey, S.J. Written by one of the foremost historians of American Catholicism, this book presents a comprehensive history of the Roman Catholic Church in America from colonial times to the present. Hennesey examines, in particular, minority Catholics and developments in the western part of the United States, a region often overlooked in religious histories.
Recommended YouTube Video: Catholics in America by Ryan Reeves Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Historical Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Here he gives a brief summary of the Catholic experience in the early days of America.
