Today’s readings in the Liturgy for the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord include the attached.
I’m sharing it to reinforce a really important spiritual insight we need for our turbulent times; one I made recently in another post: If we want to “hear” God, we need to learn the language of peace!
Throughout Scripture we read in one form or another that God “speaks peace” to his people.
“I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks PEACE to his faithful people.” [Psalm 85:8]
Correction…speaks peace to his “faithful” people.
And notice the way we have to listen: carefully!
One has to be faithful to listen carefully because listening carefully requires trust in God, the only thing that can ‘quiet’ us inside.
And by “quiet us inside” I mean displace with “calm” the turbulent interior mental noise captivating our attention, making it unavailable to hear God.
We can’t give our heart to God without our attention first leading it to God, that happens by us beginning to think of and become aware of God’s presence to us and in us.
That means we can’t be living in our imagination or memory, or be preoccupied with anything else at all inside our head and expect to be in tune with God’s Holy Spirit and available to pick up on all those holy inspirations that should be guiding us as we journey through the day!
It’s necessary to get rid of all the inside noise distracting and preoccupying our attention if we’re to hear and speak God’s language – it’s a heart-to-heart method of communication, and non-verbal… a direct and far-more intimate and divinely-inspired mode connecting us to God via His caring and compassionate cables.
God’s Presence is experienced most intimately and clearly in silence.
Just as we can only truly “see” all the exquisite, minutest detail on a leaf hanging on a tree as we walk through the forest when there is no wind rustling through the trees, when it is perfectly “still”, so too are the conditions necessary for direct conversation with God:
“Then He [God] said [to Elijah in the cave on the mountain], “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a STILL small voice.” [1 Kings 13:11-13 ]
That’s why we need to be quiet “inside” when we pray, which is almost impossible without being quiet outside as well.
Whenever we are fearful and not trusting God, there is for sure some kind of “turbulence” within us taking over our attention, stealing “stillness”.
No mental “stillness” – no “peace” in our heart.
With no peace in her heart, we have no ability to truly “converse” with God.
We might be able to articulate and say things to Him in a fleeting and superficial way in our mind, but we will NOT hear Him speaking to us!
God is not available to us when we choose to remain in such a state we can talk within our mind ourselves.
And we make that decision to be unavailable more permanently by deciding not to pray for the grace to be liberated from such a state of mindless meanderings bringing us only turbulence and trouble!
When we pray sincerely, the storm inside us abates, and we can experience the peace of Christ, a peace like no other, a peace the world promises but cannot give….AND… have a true, authentic conversation with God, having finally learned His language.