Seeking Silence as Christmas Nears

Is it too late to seek the silence God wishes for us as Christmas draws near? Roxane Salonen posits that there’s still time to hear God’s hushed voice.

A few weeks ago, our youngest son, a friend and I experienced a college Christmas concert themed, “Star of Bethlehem, Lead us to Peace.” The music was sublime, along with a fabulous backdrop, with lights behind it moving throughout to highlight different parts of the Christ child and his early earthly journey.

How we need this image and message of peace in our cacophonous, confusing world!

In an online presentation I stumbled upon last year, Fr. John Burns called it “the clamoring of the city,” noting that it’s imperative we find a way to quiet ourselves enough to hear God’s voice, and may even need to close our eyes in order “to tune into something that’s always there, but just beneath a whisper.”

Advent, these days of preparation for Christmas, is nearly over now. But no matter how frenzied you’ve felt this season, there’s still time to quiet down enough to receive the gift God wants to give you.

God chose to come as an infant to invite our adoration, but he was not recognizably divine, Fr. Burns said. “There’s this hiddenness that requires eyes of faith.”

Watchfulness, he added, is a significant part of this, and in this silent, watchful mode, we are preparing our souls to meet God. It’s also a cure for boredom, he said, for when we stay alert to God’s presence in all circumstances, every moment can bring great anticipation.

The Incarnation changed the world, bringing God down to us as an infant. This sweet and unassuming king, dressed plainly, was—and still is—powerful in his meekness, approachable to all.

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But we need to cultivate silence to truly hear him, and silence, Fr. Burns said, can be daunting, for in it, we might have to confront not only ourselves, but God. This process can be demanding in ways, and “almost have a weight to it.”

And yet, it is in silence that “we consent to the movements of the Holy Spirit,” and allow God to “breathe on those places within us that need to be rearranged.”

This time is also a call to repentance, to “purify our hearts.” When we ignore this, Fr. Burns said, we cover our wounds and further agitate the sorrow within. “The landscape of our souls becomes dry and parched,” and “the weight of our pain cripples us.”

But God’s grace can “restore us to an order and integrity,” he said, explaining that God’s “merciful gaze, when it rests upon a repentant heart, brings to life what was dead, and healing to what was broken.”

When we have cleared away the cobwebs, we can approach the crêche of our Lord with clarity and hope.

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When we have cleared away the cobwebs, we can approach the crêche of our Lord with clarity and hope. #catholicmom

Even in silence, however, we are never alone. The Church, Fr. Burns assures, invites us to join in its liturgy. “The prayers of the Church are an upward river of praise.”

What an invitation, to join this splendid movement, especially now. May we soon sing together: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth!

Q4U: What have you heard God say in the quiet of Advent this year?

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