E&W 7-21-13

Sacred Story

Encouragements & Wisdom: July 21, 2013

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Encouragements and Wisdom: July 21, 2013 (PDF).

E & W reflections are additional helps for your Sacred Story prayer journey. Reflect on them at week’s beginning or outside of your 15-minute prayer periods.

Silence

“Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” (Lk 10: 38-42)

On this Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2013, we hear this passage from the Gospel of Luke. We include it here to begin a series of reflections on silence in our daily lives. We must cultivate silence so we have “ears to hear” the Lord speaking to our hearts. Thomas Merton said:

“…If you are to penetrate your own silence and dare to advance without fear into the solitude of your own heart, and risk the sharing of that solitude with the lonely other who seeks God through you and with you, then you will truly recover the light and the capacity to understand what is beyond words…it is the intimate union in the depths of your own heart, of God’s spirit and your own inmost self, so that you and He are in all truth One Spirit.”¹

Lord Jesus, invite me to sit daily in quiet and learn from You. Lord Jesus, help me to find islands of quiet and silence in my days so your wisdom enlightens me to live life so it produces fruit that endures in
Creation, Presence, Memory, Mercy and Eternity.

One who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart and slanders not with his tongue.
One who does these things shall never be disturbed.

(Psalm 15: 2, 5)

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¹ As Man to Man,” Cistercian Studies, IV (1969), p.94.