16 Ordinary: July 20/21, 2024

So our guest speaker, Douglas, reminded us last week that we are chosen by God to leave this place and to go out and do something special:  to proclaim the Kingdom of God by our words and actions.  How well did we do that this past week?
    We were reminded in the Eucharistic prayer:  that the kingdom, and therefore we – are a witness to truth and freedom, to peace and justice – that all people may be raised us to a new hope.  How many people did we raise up in hope this past week?
    And at the end of Mass last week we were commissioned, just like the disciples – to go do something:  to go in peace to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel.  What report would we be giving Jesus this week of what we had done and taught in his name??

    And if we did these things – if were true to our calling from the God who loves us – then we should be a bit tired – and ready for a rest:  just like the disciples.
    And if we are not tired and weary by our work as disciples – then perhaps just weary and tired by our lives and its demands this past week.
    So if you have every found yourself thinking:  I can use a bit of peace and quiet – then this story is for you. . .



THE BOY WHO SEARCHED FOR SILENCE
[By Andrew Newman]

    Once upon a time, there was a boy who went searching for silence.
    He had heard that:
    Silence is golden.
    Silence is peaceful.
    Silence is refreshing and renewing.
    Most of all, he had heard that in silence, he could hear the voice of God calling him by name - and telling him how much he was loved.
    He wanted nothing more.
    The boy struggled with the noise of everyday life.
    There were cars and buses, televisions and radios.  Talking and shouting and sirens and horns.
    Everywhere he went, noise entered in.  He found this very difficult – so he went on a search for golden, peaceful, and renewing silence.
    He walked to the bottom of the garden searching for silence, BUT the neighbor’s dog was barking.
    He walked to the park searching for silence, BUT the frisbee throwers were laughing.
    He walked into the forest searching for silence, BUT the hikers were talking.
    So he walked to the top of a hill.
    There he sighed – ahh - silence.  I’ve found it. BUT, just as he had that thought - a noisy plane flew overhead, breaking the silence.
    OH NO! He exclaimed.  There is no silence in the world!
    This was a false quest, he thought.   People lied to me, he blamed.
    There is no such thing as golden, peaceful, renewing silence!
    So he raged with anger, stomping, and throwing rocks down the hill – adding his own noise to an already noisy world. . .
    With time his anger softened.  
    I guess I will have to struggle with difficult noises all my life, he thought.
    What’s a person to do??  He cried out loud.
    He sat down, utterly helpless.   He closed his eyes and wept.
    At first he wept short, breathless sobs, gasping for each new breath.
    Over time, his breathing softened and deepened, becoming deeper and deeper – in and out he breathed.
    In and out.
    The boy felt like he was falling – falling inward.
    He was too tired to be scared.  So he fell.
    He was too helpless to think.  So he fell.
In and out he breathed.
    He was enjoying this new feeling – so he fell.
    He fell — right into silence.
            –pause for awhile
    Silence was like a dream to him.  A whole world opened up.  It was spacious.  It was comforting. And it was oh so peaceful.
    A big smile spread across his face as he rested – in silence - feeling deeply nourished on the inside.
    AHH, he thought.  Silence is not a thing to find – it is a place inside me.
    I can go there and visit whenever and wherever I want.
    From inside silence he could hear another plane flying overhead.
    He simply smiled
    From inside silence he could hear the hikers talking.
    He simply smiled.
    From inside silence he could hear the frisbee throwers laughing.
    And the boy simply smiled.
    When he walked down the hill, silence came with him.
    When he walked through the forest, silence came with him.
    When he crossed the park, silence came with him.
    Silence became his friend.
    That day, he fell head-over-heels in love with silence.
    He loved silence deeply, and silence loved him back.
    Each day after, he made sure to take a few special minutes to fall inwards into silence.
    And all the things he had heard turned out to be true.
    Silence is golden.
    Silence is peaceful.
    And silence is very refreshing and renewing.
    Most of all, he discovered that in silence he could hear the voice of God call him by name - and tell him how much he was loved.  And this made him very, very happy.
And Jesus said to them:  “come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest for a while.”
    
Why?  Because we’re tired and weary.
Why?  So that we can know Christ better and serve Him more faithfully.
Why?  So that we can hear the voice of God calling us by name - and telling us how much we are loved. . .

    

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