“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Isaiah 50.4 He opens my ear that I may hear.
Seeker of Silence
In noise, a suppressed soul awaits.
How wretched a soul that succumbs only to noise.
Oh shriveling spirit in the midst of an oppressed shadow.
Blessed is the heart that listens.
Songs of healing beckon.
Blessed is the seeker.
Our keeper of love awaits silence.
Pain is embraced.
Inner beauty begins to reveal.
A subtle lure to breathtaking around us.
Our soul is captivated to true love.
Blessed is the seeker of His love.
Preconceived thoughts vanish.
A heart is free from self and others.
The heart and mind open to blossom.
A soul restored and alive.
A light within radiates strength and beauty.
Listening is wisdom.
Listening is peace.
Listening is prayer.
Listening is God in all.
Peace.
To listen is to love beyond ourselves. Has stillness and silence in life become overtaken by noise? My mother was a incredible listener. My mother, father and I would sit for hours on the porch just listening to the world around them. A gift they gave me. One of the greatest gifts my mother offered, was listening. It was a gift she shared with all those around her. We’d sit for hours over tea and food and she’d listen; while I, in my youthful exuberance shared all my thoughts and problems at the time. When she spoke, I listened. It was in her calm, selfless listening that she planted the seed of humility and selflessness. She placed me at the altar of her love, in every way. She heard my heart. She heard my pain. She heard my joy. Beneath all the chatter, she could see my heart. My mother listened, far more than she spoke. I remember the times she spoke the most, were the ones when I shared a hurt I felt towards another. In her beautiful Italian words, she would say, “If you let all the pebbles on the ground make you stumble and fall, you will always be on the ground. Rise, be strong, have patience. Always forgive and forget.”. That truth stayed with me all my life. She always reminded me, the world is full of pain, but we must always love and be humble. In my pain she reminded me, “If you forgive, you will forget, but if you do not forgive, the pain will remain with you.”. She was a women and mother of faith. Matthew 5:43-48 “..But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you..”. When we listen with our heart and seek Him in all things, we can heal and be at peace. When we listen we hear the heart of another and see love in all their pain. In all my upbringing, I never recall my mother ever acting in any other way than in, love and humility. Whether I was sitting and cooking with my mother or Nonna or gardening with my Nonno or sitting endlessly by the fire hearing philosophy and inspiration from my father or in the presence of listening with an open heart with family or companions, a seed of immense love was growing. Listening humbles us. Listening is love. It allows us to place others above ourselves. Listening opens our heart.
Psalm 95 “O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts..” Has society fallen so far that people live in fear of listening to their heart? Music is played constantly in all places, drowning out peace and calm. Chatter in lunch rooms, workplaces and other areas filling the silence, that may be filled with peace and love. With God, one need not fear to confront the root of one’s soul. Lack of contemplation and repentance, imprisons a soul. At times we may seek esteem and power in others with our conversations, forgetting to trust that God fills all our needs, if we seek Him. Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” What has happened to our silence? One’s soul and wisdom can wither in the prominence of noise. If one is silent, another unrest soul may think that something is wrong or the person is upset. As the unrest soul may try to fill their own void, they may push another to the same edge of despair. Ponder for a moment, are whispers of your soul within that you are trying desperately to silence in chatter, perhaps, the ones that you should most embrace? Embrace the silence and listen. There’s no harm in silence. Silence inspires creativity. Silence is healing. Silence is strength. Silence is compassion to another’s pain. Silence is security in a friendship. Silence is companions sharing a journey. When we listen we humble ourselves. It opens up our heart to see God in all things and people.
Listen to that which makes the heart and soul rise. Listen with your heart and soul. In my mother’s calm and humble being, the only thing that was louder than any voice, was her magnificent laughter, that could be heard above the rooftops. A friend once told me that when I listen to others, I listen with all my heart and soul. A gift from my mother and God. As we grow in our journey, let us always open our hearts to grow and blossom in listening to God’s love and will for each of us. When one speaks for me it is spiritual. They may be speak of an annoyance, for me, I see their pain or seeking to be accepted or loved. They have been placed in my presence by God and it is their heart I hear more than their words. It is amazing when the heart shifts from relying on finite love to placing all your soul on God’s infinite love. A journey, I desperately hope to share with you. I am unsure as to why, but from a very young I have always had a heightened awareness of my self and surroundings. Sensitivity to things. At times a blessing and other times a cross. It is always a great joy to listen, to my elders, to peoples stories and my faith. This makes our life rich. God makes all things for good. His mysterious love unfolds every moment to open our eyes to incredible enlightenment. Listen with all your heart. Pray with an open heart.
Let us pray, Loving God and Mary Mother of Peace and Tranquility, may all people share in allowing the Spirit to guide our life. Let us seek your love, understanding and wisdom and reap infinite mercy and love, that only you can give. Let us be still, listen and discern your beauty that surrounds us in all things. Let all people have peace in spirit and soul. Amen.
Peace,
Claudia