Called to Silence

   “Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory.  Full of Thy mercy.  And I who am nothing have been placed here in silence to behold it and to praise Thee!”  (Thomas Merton, “A Year with Thomas Merton: Daily Meditations from His Journals”)

   As I sit in my kitchen eating breakfast I can watch the squirrels playing and the birds eating at the bird feeders.  Sometimes there are butterflies and hummingbirds feeding at the flowering bushes I’ve planted.  To me this is a beautiful part of the glory of God and His creation.  A wonderful gift He has given me to enjoy, it is a veiled glance at His true majesty.  A gift best enjoyed in silence.

   Though I am not prepared to enter the seclusion of the monastery as Thomas Merton did, I seek silence in my spiritual life.  In quiet prayer and contemplation I find a closer relationship with my Lord.  In the stillness I better feel His presence within me.  Though I will never experience the life of a hermit and would not want to, the silent times are very important to me.  In quiet prayer and meditation I close my eyes, open my heart and experience the joy of having God in my life.  In the quiet I commune with the Lord.

   The sunrise, the sunset, the gentle rain showers and even the occasional thunderstorm speaks to His majesty.  In silence I dream of the glory to come in His heavenly kingdom.

Lord, You give us a mere glance at Your glory.

And still I am in awe of the splendor I see.

The true extent of Your majesty remains hidden.

I pray for the day it will be revealed.