I tend to like silence. Being the introspective person that I am, it is time for me to reflect on things. Anything. And everything. When it comes to prayer, Eucharistic Adoration is my favorite – just sitting there and being – with God. Silence and time with my thoughts is how I recharge.
But a lot of us run away from silence. A lot of us need to have something constantly going on, or have to be doing something, watching something. A lot of us have to always be going somewhere.
And then the rest of us fall somewhere in between.
And that’s okay. We’re not all wired to embrace silence. It can be uncomfortable. We’ve got different personalities and when it comes to prayer – different ways we pray.
But one thing we all need is our lonely place. Our deserted place where we go and spend time with God.
It may be in Adoration or simply in a church. It could be a room in your house, or it could be on a hiking trail. It could be while crafting something, like woodwork or jewelry. It could be in the car, simply driving. Or it could be while on a walk or run.
It could be anything. Any place where you can be alone with your thoughts, and listen to God.
Look no further than Jesus. Here we have the Son of God – God in the flesh – here on earth. And even He needed to go off alone, to a lonely, deserted place and pray. His prayer, as ours should be, is simply being with His Father. Our Father. It’s a time and a place where we sort things out, and listen to Him.
Our lonely places change over time. I remember when I was a kid and even into high school, my lonely place was outside playing basketball – by myself, just shooting baskets. Shot after shot. Grabbing the ball, shooting it in the basketball hoop, the sound of the ball bouncing on the ground, running after the shot and setting up for my next one. There is a definite rhythm to it, and a rhythm to the thoughts and conversation in my head.
Even today, I find peace in this.
A few years ago, running was my lonely place. Again, a time for my thoughts to wander, and just listen to the rhythm of my feet hitting the pavement, my breathing. This rhythm fostered a sort of meditation.
Today, it’s time in Adoration, or simply sitting in my prayer chair, perhaps saying a rosary, writing in my journal, writing for all of you. When I really get into my writing, again, I find that rhythm. When I am praying a rosary, there is a rhythm in traversing the beads and prayers.
It’s that rhythm and that time away from everything else that puts you in another place, in a different zone, and when done in prayer, on another plane with God. Even sitting in still silence, there is the rhythm of your breathing, the rhythm of your heartbeat, that allows you to focus and rise to a higher level with God.
Jesus had His lonely places that He went to, to get away, where He would go and listen to His Father. And that is the key. Listening. Using that rhythm to focus your mind and let those distractions float away, so that you can hear what God has to tell you, and you can say to Him – speak Lord for Your servant is listening.
