Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Strategic Monk

Home
Contemplative
Listening to Sacred Stillness: Hearing the Suffering in the Silence

Listening to Sacred Stillness: Hearing the Suffering in the Silence

Last updated on: December 6, 2017 at 5:10 am by Greg Richardson

Listening to Sacred Stillness: Hearing the Suffering in the Silence 2017-12-06T05:10:17-08:00 Greg Richardson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

5414231815_e7e5564554_z

The Suffering in the Silence

As we listen to sacred stillness we hear the suffering in the silence all around us.

The people without voices cry out to us. We hear them in the sacred stillness as they live hungry and thirsty, longing for a home. While others are too busy to listen we hear them begging for, and demanding, justice and mercy.

We hear the weakened cries of people who need our help, who need us to pay attention.

Sacred stillness is filled with the whispers of people in pain. People we know, our families and friends, and people we have not yet met. We hear the deep pain of people struggling to recover from addiction and fear. The words they dare not say out loud reach us as we listen to sacred stillness.

We hear people with lives devastated by disasters which are natural, and those made by us. Listening to sacred stillness brings their voices to us, even if we are usually too busy to hear.

The silent voices of people wounded and killed by violence ring out in sacred stillness. We hear the crying people against whom people have been violent, and the people who committed the violent. Sacred stillness carries their anguish beyond expression to our ears.

We listen to stillness filled with silent voices. The cries of people held in slavery as well as those of people living in the midst of war. We hear genocide and sexual abuse, racial hatred and injustice of every kind in the stillness.

The suffering in the silence fills our hearts as we listen to sacred stillness. We may surround ourselves with distractions, but the suffering is still there. As much as we try to distract ourselves, we can hear the suffering in the silence when we open ourselves to listen.

Is There Hope for Those Suffering in the Silence?

The suffering in the silence we hear when we listen to sacred stillness is not limited to people. When we open ourselves to listen the pain we can hear how overwhelming it is. All of the earth, all of the universe, struggles with pain and suffering and death.

The names of some places have become almost synonymous with suffering. Places like Buchenwald or Hiroshima, the World Trade Center or Bir al-Abed remind us.

When we listen to sacred stillness we can hear the suffering in the silence.

What can we do in the face of such insurmountable conflict and struggle? What hope can we offer, even to ourselves?

One of the most essential questions people ask about spiritual life is about suffering.

If spiritual life is so powerful and so full of love, why is there so much suffering? Suffering seems to be so far beyond our control; where is there room for hope?

These are challenging and complex questions. They demand we spend some time and energy reflecting on them.

I do not know why there is suffering in our world, but believe people cause most of it.

Suffering seems to be ubiquitous and commonplace. It does not seem to me we need to spend more time trying to assess responsibility for suffering. We can focus on finding room for hope.

The first step, for me, is that in listening to sacred stillness we hear the suffering in the silence. As we listen, we take our place with those who are suffering.

When I feel I am suffering, I have a disheartening sense I am alone, abandoned. Suffering feels so overwhelming because it seems no one else is paying attention.

Even if we cannot practically relieve suffering, we can pay attention.

Hearing the Suffering in the Silence

One of the essential truths of spiritual life is we are not alone.

We take time to listen to sacred stillness and we can hear the suffering in the silence. As we let go of the distractions and diversions which capture our attention we begin to hear. We listen, and those who are suffering in the silence are not alone.

It may be a challenge for us to listen well and share in their suffering. We may feel overwhelmed or get distracted.

We listen to sacred stillness and consider what we hear as we listen. Hearing the suffering in the silence connects us to it and makes it real for us. We reflect on the truths of what we hear and draw meaning from it.

Our next challenge is appreciating how to apply what we learn from our listening.

The choices are ours to make. We may choose based on what we analyze in our minds, making clear decisions. It could be that we choose based on what we understand in our hearts.

Some of us may choose to ignore or rationalize away what the stillness tells us.

Each of chooses how we will translate what we hear into how we take action.

Responding to the Suffering in the Silence

We may or may not be responsible for causing the suffering in the silence. We are, though, responsible for how we respond.

It may take us time to decide what we will do. We may not leap up into immediate action. There are options to consider and wise paths to discern. There may be more listening and reflection for us to do.

We cannot, though, wait forever.

When we listen to sacred stillness we hear real suffering in the silence. It is neither our imagination nor an exaggeration of the pain we hear.

There are people who assume listening to sacred stillness is an effort to escape reality. Some people believe spiritual life is an attempt to justify or rationalize the suffering.

My experience teaches me differently.

We listen, contemplate, and reflect on the deep truths all around us and within us. When we take time to listen to sacred stillness, it is not distractions we hear.

Listening to sacred stillness we hear the suffering in the silence. What we hear draws us out of our comfort and into how we respond.

What do you hear when you listen to sacred stillness today?

How will we respond to the suffering in the silence we hear this week?

[Image by emily mucha]

Greg Richardson is a spiritual life mentor and leadership coach in Southern California. He is a recovering attorney and university professor, and a lay Oblate with New Camaldoli Hermitage near Big Sur, California. Greg’s website is StrategicMonk.com, and his email address is [email protected].

Blog

Sacred Stillness

Previous Post

December 2, 2017

Practices From the Inside Out: What is Advent All About?

Next Post

December 7, 2017 Leading Like a Monk: Can Monks Help Us Become Stronger Leaders?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Blog Book Reviews Everything Else Guest Posts Leadership Monastic Strategies Neighborhood Pilgrimages Sacred Stillness Spiritual Direction Spiritual Practices Work

Select a Month May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who baptized Jesus?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Peter Paul James John the Baptist