The silent moment
The silent moment
Not longtime ago and not far from here, a new crusade in the name of atheism and religious intolerance was started. The target: 60 seconds of silence. Since long time every school day in Carrollton-Farmer's Branch ISD starts with one minute of silence during which, according the state rules, children can meditate, pray or just keep silent.
This apparently benign practice has led to a juridical action initiated by a couple of "concerned" parents worrying that 1 minute of precious education time is wasted everyday with a practice that belongs to what they call "judeo-christian monotheism propaganda". Lucky enough a wise judge overruled the complaint and the practice continues.
The reason I bring this ridiculous example is to illustrate a greater and more serious trend: less and less people have time for God in their personal life. People are too busy educating themselves, entertaining themselves, admiring themselves to dedicate anytime for a conversation with God.
Some people say I know God, I've read the Bible once, and I attend sometimes Bible school, so I know Him. Saying this though is like someone will say I know Oprah, I've seen her on TV everyday, I read the papers talking about her, I've even studied her biography in detail so I know Oprah. But is this really knowing?
Knowing someone implies a personal relationship with that person, involves spending time together, getting to know their way of thinking, their desires, aspirations. Knowing someone is an experience that takes time and effort.
Every Christian person wants to spend eternal life with Christ. But would anyone want to spend an eternity with someone you do not know, with someone that you don't want to spend a minute with now? I seriously doubt it.
The more time we spend with God the more we get to know Him, the more we understand Him we discover the meaning of our existence. We discover He is the source of life and His love transcends our wickedness. Union with Him becomes then the purpose of our lives and our existence is filled with meaning.
But if we don't take the time to know Him and we put all our efforts into gravitating around our own egoistic selves, God becomes a distant notion, somebody that disturbs our comfortable self-sufficiency. God ceases to be a purpose and becomes a nuisance.
Prayer is the most precious tool we have to know God. As described by the Holy Fathers, prayer is a dialogue with God, is the beginning of an eternal-life-long relationship. Don't let the temptations of the world take from us this most precious gift.
God became man so we can know Him, so we can relate to Him. We need to stop doing what we are doing and hear what He says and answer back to Him in prayer. Then a new world, a world full of meaning will open I front of us, a world in which we don't want to spend any minute NOT talking with Him.
O Lord Eternal and Creator of all things, I dare to invoke Thee,
Purify me from all taint of flesh and spirit.
Teach me to pray aright.
Bless this day which Thee give unto me, Thy unworthy servant.
By the power of Thy blessing enable me at all times to speak
and act to Thy glory with a pure spirit, with humility, patience,
love, gentleness, peace, courage and wisdom:
aware always of Thy presence. Amin.