Using Silence to Understand God

Throughout our lives, we often might question God’s existence. This can come about because we lost someone in our lives that was very special. We might not have been able to spend time with our families because we could have turned to substance abuse to deal with the pain and ended up at the best rehabs in Texas. This is where the question of God’s existence often occur. An individual might wonder if God really exists because, otherwise, He would have made that time available, right? Well, it depends on who you ask and how you look at God. Some see Him as a very active being in the world. Still others believe Him to be something else entirely.

According to JesuitPrayer.org, seeking silence can help you find God. A Jesuit priest, Father Michael Maher S.J., believes it is quite difficult to find silence today with all of the technology we use. He wrote about the beauty of silence and how he experience God’s presence in it. “What impressed me even as a child was the silence of the farm where, especially in the early evening, when you could hear the crickets, song birds, and the contended sounds of the animals.” Maher said he went to a family farm in northern Illinois where he first experienced this.

Silence is important to the Jesuits. The Jesuit experience is a very different from other Catholic priestly orders and denominations of Christianity. The order’s emphasis on silence represents a way its members interact with God in their day-to-day lives. They actually have a thirty-day guided silent retreat called The Spiritual Exercises, where you are not allowed to use any technology. It is just you and the silence. These exercises require you to pray for four or five hours each day and meet with a guide for about an hour. Each of the retreat’s four phases allows you to reflect on not only sin in the world, but also the sacrifices Jesus made. While difficult times such as spending it at the best rehabs in Texas will continue, this understanding of God and opportunity to fully comprehend sin may serve you well in future situations.

God might not always seem like He is there, but He is listening. This is often the message the Jesuits try to communicate. In the Jesuit belief system, God allows humans to make their own choices and learn through the consequences of these choices. Recognizing that God has a plan and that there are lessons sometimes to be learned in His guidance may allow you to live a better and more wholesome existence.

About the author: Tommy Zimmer is a writer whose work has appeared online and in print. His work covers a variety of topics, including politics, economics, health and wellness, addiction and recovery, and the entertainment industry.