Strength in Silence
As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God.
My being thirsts for God, the living God. When can I go and see
the face of God?
My tears have been my food day and night, as they ask daily,
“Where is your God?”
Those times I recall as I pour out my soul…
Why are you downcast, my soul; why do you groan within me?
Wait for God, whom I shall praise again, my savior and my God…
At dawn may the LORD bestow faithful love that I may sing praise
through the night, praise to the God of my life.
(Psalm 42)
Dear friend, this Psalm -along with others such as Psalm 63- offers an anthropological portrait that lays bare the fundamental, transcendent structure of the human being: The longing and thirst for belonging, and the quest for the living and eternal God.
Within our souls, we each experience a kind of echo or memory of belonging to a higher destiny… That restless yearning arising from the tension between the aspiration for something greater and our own smallness, our wretched frailties and limitations, is nothing less than a mark of identity that God Himself has imprinted upon the human spirit: It is a seed of His own being, ensuring that man never ceases to seek Him and that, whenever he focuses on created things that cannot truly satisfy him, he feels a sense of unease and restlessness.
This thirst—or this divine sensitivity—is unconquerable in many people, strong in others, and weak in yet others, depending on the gift received. There are also those who did not receive it to any degree… Others—many, in fact—allowed it to atrophy through a lack of care and attention, or saw it extinguished in the whirlwind of human misfortune (and this is the most common case).
Dear friend, do not let yourself be swept away by life’s turbulence. Live attentively and awake! Look more deeply within yourself! Even if darkness and spiritual dryness envelop you, you will come to realize that this solitude -this existential void- carries an emotional quality, a sense of nostalgia, yearning, attraction, and allure that nothing and no one else can satisfy. That deep void can be filled only by the presence of the living God. And that is an experience He Himself imparts to us. It is pure grace. Yet, since we know that at times, He is neither felt nor seen, what is required is trust and a blind faith that He is present, even when you neither feel nor see Him.
I invite you now to turn inward. Sit patiently at the threshold of His door, waiting peacefully amidst His absences and delays. Quiet your mind and set aside the concerns of your personal affairs. Yet, observe everything you feel without judgment. Do not reject anything that arises, even feelings of displeasure; simply observe it and let it pass without judgment, without burdening it with your worries or resistance. Little by little, it will all dissolve… Devote yourself solely to nurturing peace within… saying: “All is well. I accept everything with love” …
Take as much time as you can for this period of contemplation… and conclude with this brief prayer of surrender:
Lord, Lord, You first, You last.
You, in the immense depth of the abyss and in the inner depths.
You, in the singing dawn and in the pondering night.
You, in the flower of the thistles and in the thistles without a flower.
Amado Nervo, “Lord, Lord”, The Path #17.
Dear friend, abiding in this promise of an Eternal Love that will never fade will cause a sweet surrender to blossom within you -a surrender to the paths that God allows.
True surrender -in the sense of detachment- is not an ascetic burden meant to harden you; rather, it is a trusting self-offering that lends meaning, charm, and a fresh grace to your daily life, guiding you toward unforeseen, unimaginable heights. It is the work of the Holy Spirit, who acts most effectively in the docile and humble who surrender themselves into His hands. It is not repression, but creativity and growth. Yet, the ascent toward that summit -which you have already begun to climb- makes you truly more human and a genuine co-redeemer with Jesus Christ. Detachment means surrendering yourself and everything you have, out of trust and love.
Read the following prayer prayerfully. Offer it up with a spirit of trusting surrender:
Think that you are in God ‘s hands, all the more strongly held the more downcast and sad you find yourself.
Live happy. I beg you. Live in peace. Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing rob you of your peace: neither mental fatigue nor your moral failings.
Let a gentle smile bloom upon your face and keep it there always, a reflection of the smile the Lord continually turns toward you. And deep within your soul, place above all else -as a source of strength and a standard of truth- whatever fills you with God’s peace.
Remember: whatever troubles or weighs you down is false. I assure you of this in the name of the laws of life and God’s promises.
Therefore, when you feel heavy-hearted and sad, adore and trust…
“Adore and Trust” – Teilhard de Chardin
FINAL SONG “Every Simple Man”
Every simple man carries a dream inside. With love and humility, you can achieve it. If you put each day with sweat and effort one stone and another more, you will reach very high.
In a simple life, you will find the way for your heart to find calm.
And the simple joys are the most beautiful, they are those that in the end are the most grandiose.
By giving day after day, through your own effort, laying one stone upon another, you could reach great heights.