Cardinal Sarah describes how man find it difficult to be in silence and that used to be true for me. Not hard to be alone or without noise but to be alone in my head. Then silence was forced upon me when my children left the nest, and with a husband who works all the time, I was home alone, and it was REALLY quiet. I lived with the TV or radio on, anything to drawn out the silence. That is until one Lent I gave up noise. That was not easy but so rewarding. I learned to embrace the silence and I love it!
Cardinal Sarah used the analogy of the skiff being pushed into a shore that is still feared, feared because of it was on unfamiliar land. That is what silence was for me until I became familiar with the land and realized how beautiful it was. Because I was not alone on that skiff, Jesus is with me.
Jeremiah 17 says “I, the Lord, alone probe the mind and test the heart,” Jeremiah is challenging us to get out in the skiff and allow the Lord to transform our hearts, especially during the scariest time of our lives.
Take away; if God were to probe your mind and test your heart, what would he find? Would he find you fitting the silence because it was difficult for you, or would he find you embracing it. Embrace it..it is beautiful.
