Saturday, February 21

Reflection on Silence, from Amy Boyd

"True silence is the rest of the mind; and is to the spirit, what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment."

---William Penn, 1699

"Be still and know that I am God."

---Psalm 46:10

When I find that my attention is being pulled in too many directions, and that most of those directions are not worthy of my attention, I know that I first must return to silence in order to find my way again. I don't expect it to show me the whole way, but at least it helps me know where next to place my foot on the path, which direction to turn.

First, I have to stop. Stop moving, going, doing. Slow down even the busy mind. Sit still. Sometimes, that is the hardest part, when all the world is pulling at me. Sometimes the slowing down and stopping comes easily and quickly. Sometimes, when things get particularly bad, it takes hours, days even.

Ideally, I am in a place that is quiet, where there is an absence of noise and the sounds that are present are gentle. The sounds of rain, or birds, or wind. Sometimes, I go so far as to turn off the breaker to the refrigerator or my heater, to still all of the noises that usually surround us. It helps if I can quiet everything around me, or find a quiet place to be. But sometimes, I don't have that luxury, and instead, I have to go into myself to find that still, quiet place inside, despite the chaos outside (which, really, is the whole point anyway). 

When I finally have slowed down, I listen. I rest my mind, like William Penn suggests. I wait, and I try to trust that by waiting and listening, eventually I will feel it again: I will feel, and know, that God is within me and within all, and I will reconnect with that deep, quiet center inside me that is holy, that is home, that is spirit. Sometimes it takes a lot of trust and time. Sometimes, I do not get there because I cannot still myself enough. That can feel like despair. But I've come back around so many times in my life that I do know: it's there. If I can't access it today, I will another time, but the practice matters. The practice of slowing down, of stopping, of listening, strengthens my ability to connect with the holy.

And so, this is what we are inviting you to do on Saturdays during Lent: the practice of silence. Slow down, even for a moment. Stop, even for a moment. Be still. Listen.