School of the Word
Come, Lord Jesus. Bring us silence. 1/3
by Sr. Sandra Seow
Passages:
There Elijah went into a cave to spend the night. Suddenly the Lord spoke to him, "Elijah, what are you doing here?" He answered, "Lord God Almighty, I have always served you - you alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed all your prophets. I am the only one left - and they are trying to kill me!"
"Go out and stand before me on top of the mountain," the Lord said to him. Then the Lord passed by and sent a furious wind that split the hills and shattered the rocks - but the Lord was not in the wind. The wind stopped blowing, and then there was an earthquake - but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire - but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the soft whisper of a voice. When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
A voice said to him, "Elijah, what are you doing here?" He answered, "Lord God Almighty, I have always served you - you alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed all your prophets. I am the only one left - and they are trying to kill me." The Lord said, "Return to the wilderness near Damascus, then enter the city and anoint Hazael as king of Syria; anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet." ~ 1 Kings 19: 9-16
Joseph was a man who always did what was right, but he did not want to disgrace Mary publicly; so he made plans to break the engagement privately. While he was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife. For it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived. She will have a son, and you will name him Jesus - because he will save his people from their sins."
Now all this happened in order to make come true what the Lord had said through the prophet, "A virgin will become pregnant and have a son, and he will be called Immanuel" (which means, "God is with us"). So when Joseph woke up, he married Mary, as the angel of the Lord had told him to. ~ Matthew 1:19-24
“Silence is not a pain but a gift.
It is where God is.
Silence is not emptiness but fullness.
The fullness of God’s presence.
Advent is the time to be quiet within by spending time in prayer and letting God’s words resonate louder than all the other voices of worries, regrets and disappointments.
The call is for us to be in a restful, prayerful silence where we meet God.”
(From tonight’s input)
Stay in silence.
Listen to God as He speaks to us through the Scripture.
Reflections:
- What is His message to me?
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