In Silence with the Lord 

   “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. (Mark 1: 35) 

   The above quote is one of many instances noted in the Gospels of Jesus going off by himself to pray in private, just Him and the Father.

   Like all devoted Jews, Jesus attended synagogue regularly; He participated in the Jewish festivals and feasts.  He taught His disciples as a group and taught crowds of upwards of five thousand.  In this way I believe He reinforced the need for communal prayer, a coming together of Christians to give praise and glory to Him and to be taught and led by His word.

   In addition to the prayers and activities of the congregations, He also made time to be alone with the Father.  After His baptism, he withdrew to the desert for prayer and fasting and was tempted by Satan (Matt 4: 1 - 2), before naming the twelve apostles from among His disciples He spent the night alone in prayer (Luke 6: 12 – 13.)  In the garden of Gethsemane He again went by Himself to pray before His passion and death (Matt 26: 36 – 44).

   St. Therese of Lisieux said, “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and love, embracing both trial and joy.”  In the quiet I understand her meaning.  To be silent in the presence of the Lord is to truly pray. 

Noise deafens me to Your word.

Commotion hides Your quiet presence.

In the silence I find You.

In the quiet we are one. 

Amen