Sunday Gospel Reflection
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mark 6:30-34
Silence, Solitude, Rest, and Compassion Builds Faith
Carlo S. Dureza
On coffee break during a 5-day Holy Week silent retreat a few years back, I sat comfortably before the dining table in the spacious cafeteria, preparing to dig my teeth deep into the soft, glutinous rice cake that was served for a mid-morning snack.
As I was enjoying every bite of biko drizzled with toasted grated coconut, I was careful not to let my eyes get into contact with those of my co-retreatants, much more engage them in a short chit-chat, as all of us were together at table. Afterall, that spiritual hiatus was meant to practice silence and solitude.
Posted by the window fronting the table was a sign in drab colors that read, “We encounter God in silence.” It created a slight impact on me as it seemed like just an ordinary retreat house fixture to accentuate an otherwise dull dining hall wall thinly coated with plain varnish.
As I exited the cafeteria after downing my last sip of freshly brewed coffee and walked by the long corridor heading towards the sun-bathed garden, I came across other signs hung all over. One said, “God is a God of Silence”, the other, “God comes to us in the silence of our hearts”, and still another, “Be still and know that I am God”.
It occurred to me that silence has to do with being alone and being alone has to do with being with God. In today’s gospel, Jesus intentionally isolated Himself from the mammoth crowd following Him and His disciples to be in a secluded place where He needed to pray to His Father in silence. He wanted to be alone, to be in the midst of stillness. This way, He could commune with God more comfortably and privately.
Even the Son of Man needed to keep by Himself, to be in silence in order to pray. In silence, we hear the voice of God. We encounter Him, receive answers to our prayers and get transformed. Silence is the medium that carries God’s message to our hearts. God’s words will not dwell in noise but will pierce in silence. We wouldn’t hear His voice in the absence of silence as this drowns in a myriad of sounds.
This is also the reason Jesus shunned crowds when in prayer. He desired quiet solitude. In being silent, we are alone. We should be with none other than ourselves as God speaks to us. We must switch off the noises around us in order to listen to Him attentively.
The challenge after my retreat then was to determine what God was saying to me in silence and how to listen to His voice only despite the many devilish and deceitful voices around. This could be our lone challenge also now: How to distinguish God’s voice and to listen only to Him in the marketplace of life.
Silencing oneself also means to rest. It is to put ourselves in a tranquil disposition. Jesus spent some time in serenity after working hard. Resting is not idleness. It is not being lazy. There is nothing wrong with rest as against being active. Rest recreates, it refreshes, it renews our vigor to make us productive co-creators of the Lord. Rest is life-giving, very God-like.
Lastly, today’s Gospel also illustrates Jesus’ compassion. Though tired and wanting to spend quiet time alone, He pitied the crowd following Him because they were “like sheep without a shepherd”. Even entitled to His privacy, He still sacrificed this to heal the sick and to preach the good news. Compassion is feeling for others.
Silence and solitude, rest and compassion make us encounter God. They build our faith in our Lord who loves us.
Happy Sunday! God bless!
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Photo by Arthur Brognoli from Pexels
