“The purest faith has to be tested by silence in which we listen for the unexpected, in which we are open to what we do not yet know, and in which we slowly and gradually prepare for the day when we will reach out to a new level of being with God…Here we see the creative power and fruitfulness of silence. Not only does the silence give us a chance to understand ourselves better, to get a truer and more balanced perspective on our own lives in relation to the lives of others…It helps us to concentrate on a purpose that really corresponds not only the deeper needs of our own being but also to God’s intentions for us.
This is a really important point. When we live superficially, when we are always outside ourselves, never quite “with” ourselves, always divided and pulled in many directions by conflicting plans and projects, we find ourselves doing many things that we do not really want to do, saying things we do not really mean, needing things we do not really need, and exhausting ourselves for what we secretly realize to be worthless and without meaning in our lives: Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. (Isaiah 55:2).
Thomas Merton (1915-1968) in Love and Learning (Toronto: McGraw Hill, 1979) 42-43.
As Jenni and I discussed our approach to prayer and fasting this Lenten season, we have both felt drawn to carve out time daily for solitude. Merton writes much about the value of this practice for our faith and, in this text, celebrates the fruitfulness of silence: we learn more about God and ourselves.
Merton also brings to light how solitude becomes the pathway to real “rich” food. Want some? We invite you to join us in “listening carefully” this Lent. May we learn to discern the stuff in our lives that does not satisfy, so we can fast from it, and instead, partake of that which is good, delightful, and rich!