“Listening to our Lord Who speaks to us, even in the silence of our life!”
(Based on Mal 3:1-4, 23-24 and Lk 1:57-66 – Friday of the 4th Week in Advent)
Ssshhhhhhh…………………..Silence!!
For some people, Silence causes an awkward feeling in this our noisy world.
For some people, Silence creates an uncomfortable feeling.
For some, not so much.
For others, definitely yes.
For many of us, silence is rare.
And when silence is rare, silence can be uncomfortable.
A moment of silence when we listen to our favourite song causes a little irritation.
A pause of silence by an eloquent preacher causes people to focus back the attention.
Silence sometimes is much louder than any noise or sound
… Right?
The Gospel of the day takes us through a fascinating journey of Silence.
God who breaks His silence by blessing His People with a Prophet.
A father whose silence is broken by his faithful response to an amazing Divine intervention.
A Child who sets free the silence of a Mother who had been shamed in society.
The Birth of John the Baptist is a beautiful drama through the medium of Silence.
- God who breaks His silence
The Bible is a witness to many people feeling God taking a moment of silence.
In 1 Sam 3.1: “Now the young man Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.”
In 1 Sam 28: “And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or Urim, or by prophets.”
In Amos 8.11: “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the Lord God, ‘when I will send a famine on the land – not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.'”
The silence of the Lord was very much profound…
And then after Prophet Malachi, there was again a great silence…
For nearly 400 hundred years, there was no prophetic writing.
These are called “The Silent Years”…
But with John the Baptist, the silence of the Lord was broken…
This speaking of the Lord could be compared to a lover eagerly waiting for her partner to talk to her after a long time…
The silence was very long
… the silence was a bit painful too..
But once the silence is broken, there is great thrill and happiness…
God, the Lover, renews His soothing and comforting talks with His People and ushers in the time to invite them to His love and affection
- A father whose silence is broken
The birth of John the Baptist also lead to the breaking of the silence of his father, Zechariah.
When the angel Gabriel had appeared to Zechariah, he did not believe the message of the Angel of God and as a result, was rendered speechless (Lk 1: 20)
The silence of Zechariah could also be symbolic of the silence of God….
Just as John the Baptist signalled the breaking of God’s silence, Zechariah, his father too had “his tongue loosened and spoke, blessing God” (Lk 1: 64)
The silence was broken with a shower of praises and glorification of God.
The silence was banished with a shout of genuine worship and honour of God
- A Child who sets free the silence of a Mother
The Birth of John the Baptist also led to people praising his mother, Elizabeth, who for long had been barren and had been in disgrace. (Lk 1: 25, 58)
She had suffered much disgrace in silence.
She had underwent much agony in silence.
She had gone through much humiliation in silence.
But now there was every reason to break the silence and rejoice with gladness!
Is my life going through a period of Silence with God?
Is my life in a silent mode because of many disturbing factors and crippling issues?
Is my life passing through a desert of silence as a result of storms of troubles and nights of calamities?
We are invited to look into the incident of the Birth of John the Baptist and find hope!
We are invited to meditate on the Birth of John the Baptist and discover optimism!
The Lord speaks to us in the Silence of our Life.
There is much treasure hidden in the silent moments of our living.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (Jn 1:1)
Through the breaking of His silence through John the Baptist, God is preparing us to receive His personal Word, His Son.
At times God seems silent…
But He is never distant.
He is near.
He is close.
He is personal.
And He speaks through His Word made flesh – “Jesus!”
Ssshhhhhhh…………………..Silence!!
Listen to Him!
God Bless! Live Jesus!
Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
THE EFFECTS OF THE SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION
It must be recalled that . . . this reconciliation with God leads, as it were, to other reconciliations, which repair the other breaches caused by sin.
The forgiven penitent is reconciled with himself in his inmost being, where he regains his innermost truth.He is reconciled with his brethren whom he has in some way offended and wounded. He is reconciled with the Church.
He is reconciled with all creation. (CCC #1469)
Reflection Capsules 