Anchors of Hope - Silence as an Anchor of Hope

“I invite you to remove any immediate distractions. Take a moment in silence to ground yourselves in this space and to recall that we are always and everywhere in the presence of our loving God.”

With these calming words, my colleague Marcela calls us to a prayerful moment of sacred silence at the beginning of our weekly staff meeting.

It’s a warm, end-of-summer day with a breeze blowing through the open windows. As I try to settle into my chair and close my eyes, my mind races to the unfinished email in my draft folder and that one item I keep forgetting to put on the grocery list. I take a deep breath, and then another.

As I begin to let go of the distractions in front of me, it seems as if someone has turned up the volume on the background noise! I become hyper-aware of the shrill song of cicadas, the rattling whirr of the oscillating fan, and an ambulance siren whistling off in the distance.

Have you ever had that experience when you’re finally able to find a quiet moment, only to become irritated by the gurgling of the dishwasher? Or worse yet, your interior peace is disrupted by the angst of emotions you’ve been trying hard to avoid—be it unresolved grief, unspoken resentment, hidden insecurities, or general anxiety about the heartaches in our world?

It’s happened to me countless times, and I suspect that I am not alone. There is tremendous wisdom from St. Augustine, who so wisely exclaimed, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O God.”

What would it look like to befriend the silence? How might silence become an anchor of hope in response to busy days and troubling times?

I have a regular routine that includes 20 minutes of silent Centering Prayer at the start of each day. I also make time for an annual eight-day silent retreat, which I’ve been doing for over 20 years. If I’m being honest, though, the distractions are always there! Silence does not empty the mind of thoughts, feelings, sensations, or what I like to call the “never-ending committee meeting” running through my head.

Silence is a practice of deepening our relationship with God. The discipline of Centering Prayer is actually quite simple: choose a sacred word (i.e., Jesus, love, peace, mercy) as a reminder to focus on God’s presence. Find a comfortable place to sit still for 20 minutes (or you might start with five minutes and work up to a longer time). I like to set a timer with a chiming bell to mark the beginning and end of prayer. When distractions arise, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word, as a way of returning to that intention of sitting with God.

What I’ve discovered over time is that the fruit of Centering Prayer is not the time I spend in silence each day. The grace comes in returning my attention back to God in response to every distraction. Then, throughout the day, when I’m confronted with strong emotions, work demands, or the chaos on the evening news, my heart remembers that God is ever-present, that I can hand over my worries and concerns, and ask God “what is mine to do?”

Earlier this year, on the verge of my annual eight-day silent retreat, I discovered this quote from Trappist monk Thomas Merton: “Not everyone is called to be a hermit, but all people need enough silence and solitude in their lives to enable the deep inner voice of their own true self to be heard at least occasionally.” (from The Silent Life)

Merton captures the grace I rediscover every year on retreat, which is to fall in love with God and delight in the freedom of following God’s call. At the end of retreat this year, I wrote in my journal, “I discovered once again the deep interior freedom to face the challenges ahead—a freedom that arises from a heartfelt knowledge of God’s love, and a desire to dedicate myself to those whom God loves, especially the poor.”

Silence is not an escape from the world. Silence is an invitation to experience God’s closeness, even in the midst of suffering and uncertainty. At the core of silence is a profound experience of God’s love. In the silence, I come to know who I am and who God is calling me to be. I think this is why I find such hope in these practices of sacred silence.

Life will always be full of distractions. We don’t have to look far to see a world fraught with brokenness, division, and pain. Silence connects us to a love that is present with us, and within us, despite all that is going on around us. A regular practice of silence prepares us to carry God’s love with us into the world.

Going Deeper:

• Find creative ways to make space for silence and remove distractions – turn off or limit the notifications on your phone, fast from social media, dedicate time to “screen free” activities like art projects, puzzles, playing outside, board games, and cooking.

• This article from Jenene Francis invites us to consider St. Ignatius’s wisdom in the Spiritual Exercises about “Preparing to Pray”.

• Learn more about the practice of Centering Prayer from Contemplative Outreach founded by Trappist priest Fr. Thomas Keating.

• Read this article from Shemiah Gonzalez on “Choosing Silence”.

• St. Teresa of Avila’s book “The Interior Castle” is a classic text about discovering an interior union with God. I especially appreciate this translation by Mirabai Starr.

Photo by Beth Knobbe.

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Beth Knobbe

Beth Knobbe is an author, speaker, and ministry professional based in Chicago, Illinois. She earned a Master of Divinity Degree from Catholic Theological Union and serves as a Senior Trainer with Catholic Relief Services, engaging Catholics in living their faith in solidarity with the poor around the world. Beth is an avid traveler and is passionate about her vocation to the single life. Beth is the author of Party of One: Living Single with Faith, Purpose, and Passion (2011) and Finding My Voice: A Young Woman’s Perspective (2009). Her personal blog can be found at www.bethknobbe.com.