By Father Jacob Dankasa
Special to The Texas Catholic
I’m sure you may be wondering about the title of this article. Well, to be honest, I’m not too sure about it myself. But what I know for certain is that I was drafting this article during a moment of reflection, and I spontaneously came up with this title. I thought I should go ahead and continue writing, since the title is itself a product of my reflection. Sometimes wild moments come with wild reflections!
I recently took time out of my busy schedule to do a self-directed silent retreat for my annual retreat. As priests, we’re required to do an annual retreat to refresh our spiritual life. I love to share my retreat experiences, especially when they have a major impact on me. I believe shared spiritual experiences can be infectious.
On this retreat I went to a quiet and delightful site. It was situated in a quiet, country area in the middle of nowhere.
At the retreat, I was reflecting on silence when I drafted this article. My retreat was a silent one. In our noisy world — the world of the media, the internet, and the cellphone — it’s so hard to keep silent for a moment. Even when you’re not talking, you’re watching or listening to noise. But in this, my retreat-rest environment, the surrounding nature gave me more reason to be silent and to concentrate on the Lord. It was hard to stay silent, but I made it — so it is possible. For my five days of retreat, I decided to vow to be completely silent — no TV, no calls, no talking to anyone. What a joy! Although this complete silence was not without difficulties – there was the temptation to turn on the TV or the phone — my struggle to stay silent, as I had committed to do, made me realize even more how dependent I have been on the noise around me. But in the end, through the silence, I felt a sense of freedom and ownership of my entire self. I felt a deep sense of the presence of the Lord as I spent time in prayer, in visits to the Blessed Sacrament, and in celebrating the Eucharist. After the days of silence, I felt a renewed sense of energy and a passion to return to my public ministry. Even in the silence and aloneness, I never felt any sense of lacking anything. It was indeed a treat. (Of course, it’s always a treat to spend quality time with the Lord.)
Friends, amid our very noisy world we all need to find time for silence. Even though we may be doing what is good amid the noise, we must take time out for silence, time to give some attention to ourselves mentally, physically, and spiritually. I want to encourage you to find some moments for silence, some time for retrospection and deep inner reflection on your life journey. There is a lot of joy all around us that we often miss because we don’t take time to be alone with the Lord. Don’t misunderstand — this is not a call to selfishness or total withdrawal from loved ones. It is, rather, an invitation to give a little attention to the inner voice of God speaking to us in the silence of our hearts. You may not have several days, or even an entire day, to spend in silence, but a regular habit of spending a few minutes or an hour before the Blessed Sacrament or in silent prayer and meditation can go a long way toward bringing peace to your busy heart.
Father Jacob Dankasa is the pastor of Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic Church in Irving.
