How to imbue my life with more 'silence'?

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anonymous1995

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Electronic gadgets do provide me with a lot of useful information, but they at the same time make me less tolerant to reading and less patient to others.

I feel burdened by excessive interaction and social gatherings.

At the same time, I am worried about unemployment in the future.

I need more silence. Tried making prayer plans but failed. Very often prayers become my monologue instead of a dialogue with Jesus. A lot of thoughts fill my mind and I simply can’t calm down for silent prayers. Very often monologues sustain for an hour and then I fall asleep - I don’t think this one-way ‘chat’ a conversation with God.

I also feel that my Reason is challenging my Spirituality. As I read and think more, different values seem to challenge my belief: I do believe, but it becomes more like a ‘rational’ recognition instead of spiritual experience. For instance, I believe in the Eucharist because the Church says so, and the theological reasons convince me, but there is something lacking in this ‘belief’.
 
I find that praying parts of the Liturgy of the Hours helps me with interior silence. God speaks to my heart through His Word – the Psalms – so there is less mindless chatter on my end. :o

Daily mass (when I can make it) also provides my heart and mind with silence, as does time in adoration.

I also have times when I just can’t silence my own thoughts. In those moments, I remember how much I love my son, even when he just sits in the cars and chatters on and on and on about Pokemon, Star Wars Rebels, or The Lord of the Rings. And that child can do some serious non-stop talking!

Thankfully, God loves me more than I love my son. So when all my brain can do is chatter on and on, I just smile sheepishly at God and tell Him I guess I just have to talk today. I imagine He just sits with me and listens to my heart, like a patient parent who understands me better than I know myself.

Just go to God however you are, with whatever you have in your mind and heart. He’ll meet you where you’re at.

God bless you!
 
anonymous1995 said:
Electronic gadgets do provide me with a lot of useful information, but they at the same time make me less tolerant to reading and less patient to others.

I feel burdened by excessive interaction and social gatherings.

At the same time, I am worried about unemployment in the future.

I need more silence. Tried making prayer plans but failed. Very often prayers become my monologue instead of a dialogue with Jesus. A lot of thoughts fill my mind and I simply can’t calm down for silent prayers. Very often monologues sustain for an hour and then I fall asleep - I don’t think this one-way ‘chat’ a conversation with God.

I also feel that my Reason is challenging my Spirituality. As I read and think more, different values seem to challenge my belief: I do believe, but it becomes more like a ‘rational’ recognition instead of spiritual experience. For instance, I believe in the Eucharist because the Church says so, and the theological reasons convince me, but there is something lacking in this ‘belief’.
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I can relate to much of what you are saying. I suggest you take small steps to bring more silence into your life. If you can spend time in Eucharistic Adoration, that might help and would be time well spent, but you can also take steps at home. Choose a time when you will turn off the cell phone and TV and computer, and dedicate that time to God in silent prayer. This is not the time for dialogue or monologue or discursive prayer. Save that for another time, trusting that God already knows your cares and concerns. Try to just be present to God during this time. Ten or twenty minutes, try to do it every day, and try not to be too critical over how that time goes, whether you are besieged by thoughts or not.

One tip for harnessing an overactive mind is to silently and slowly repeat one word or phrase during this time of prayer. The Fathers of the Church often used a passage from Scripture, such as “O God, come to my assistance, O Lord, make haste to help me,” or some other version of the Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” Modern teachers recommend repeating a single word such as “Maranatha” (Aramaic for “Come, Lord”). Fidelity to this time is the key. Do not tell yourself, “I failed.” If thoughts come, and they will, simply go back to the word or phrase you have chosen, and focus on that. Spending time like this every day might even help with other areas of your life where you see yourself becoming over analytical with constant thoughts and worry. May God bless you and sustain you.
 
If your mornings are not too hurried (e.g., getting ready for school or work) or too noisy (talkative spouse or playing children), I recommend that you begin your day with silence. Do not turn on the radio, music player, TV, or computer, and do not even glance at the cell phone, until you have had at least a half hour of silence. If you pray lengthy structured prayers in the morning, first have some quiet time for reflection before you start your prayer routine.

Sometimes I do my best “thinking” in the early morning. I guess my mind has been working on stuff as I sleep, as thoughts percolate and sort themselves out below the surface, and in the quiet of the morning I get moments of inspiration and clarity. Sometimes I come to a better understand of a problem. Sometimes I find a peace that overcomes anxiety. For me, it’s a great way to start the day.
 
Contemplative prayer is silent prayer, that achieves “real union with the prayer of Christ.”

CCC 2700-2724

Some excerpts:
2709 What is contemplative prayer? St. Teresa answers: "Contemplative prayer [oracion mental] in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us."6 Contemplative prayer seeks him "whom my soul loves."7 It is Jesus, and in him, the Father. We seek him, because to desire him is always the beginning of love, and we seek him in that pure faith which causes us to be born of him and to live in him. In this inner prayer we can still meditate, but our attention is fixed on the Lord himself.

2710 The choice of the time and duration of the prayer arises from a determined will, revealing the secrets of the heart. One does not undertake contemplative prayer only when one has the time: one makes time for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up, no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter. One cannot always meditate, but one can always enter into inner prayer, independently of the conditions of health, work, or emotional state. The heart is the place of this quest and encounter, in poverty ant in faith.

2715 Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus. “I look at him and he looks at me”: this is what a certain peasant of Ars in the time of his holy curé used to say while praying before the tabernacle. This focus on Jesus is a renunciation of self. His gaze purifies our heart; the light of the countenance of Jesus illumines the eyes of our heart and teaches us to see everything in the light of his truth and his compassion for all men. Contemplation also turns its gaze on the mysteries of the life of Christ. Thus it learns the “interior knowledge of our Lord,” the more to love him and follow him.11

2717 Contemplative prayer is silence, the "symbol of the world to come"12 or "silent love."13 Words in this kind of prayer are not speeches; they are like kindling that feeds the fire of love. In this silence, unbearable to the “outer” man, the Father speaks to us his incarnate Word, who suffered, died, and rose; in this silence the Spirit of adoption enables us to share in the prayer of Jesus.

IN BRIEF

2720 The Church invites the faithful to regular prayer: daily prayers, the Liturgy of the Hours, Sunday Eucharist, the feasts of the liturgical year.

2721 The Christian tradition comprises three major expressions of the life of prayer: vocal prayer, meditation, and contemplative prayer. They have in common the recollection of the heart.

2722 Vocal prayer, founded on the union of body and soul in human nature, associates the body with the interior prayer of the heart, following Christ’s example of praying to his Father and teaching the Our Father to his disciples.

2723 Meditation is a prayerful quest engaging thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. Its goal is to make our own in faith the subject considered, by confronting it with the reality of our own life.

2724 Contemplative prayer is the simple expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, an attentiveness to the Word of God, a silent love. It achieves real union with the prayer of Christ to the extent that it makes us share in his mystery.

Here is a really good, easy to read and very practical book on Catholic prayer, written by a Jesuit and is being used in some seminaries as text for intro to prayer. There is also a Kindle version and Audible version

Armchair Mystic: Easing Into Contemplative Prayer Paperback – April 1, 2001
by Mark E. Thibodeaux S.J. (Author)
 
anonymous1995 said:
…
I feel burdened by excessive interaction and social gatherings.

At the same time, I am worried about unemployment in the future.

I need more silence. …
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In addition to the information in the other posts you might consider if you have “adrenal fatigue” and possibly a need for a tweak in diet.

Maybe you don’t process stimulating chemicals–caffeine, phenols, some food additives, etc.

Maybe you need a diet that provides more amino acids such as taurine and glutamine. Glutamine helps the body make more of the calming brain chemical, GABA. This has been wonderful for a friend with a long history of PTSD. It plus some pregnenolone–adrenal support–takes the edge off for me on stressful days.

Maybe your diet is low in magnesium. . Epsom Salt is Mg sulfate. Both Mg and sulfate have links to a more calming effect. Maybe a little foot bath would help you settle down as you try to pray and meditate.

My hair and blood tests reported very low lithium, a natural mineral somewhat similar to potassium. My semi-natural doctor is okay with me taking a small amount of Li orotate supplement. It has been wonderful for making me less intense, more relaxed and “chilled out” I know a few other people with a similar experience. If that happens to be your issue, the effect can be really nice.

It may seem to be strange to be discussing diet and health in our group. However, I really like a book by Dr Daniel Amen about the relationship between health of mind, body and spirit, Healing the Hardware of the Soul.
alibris.com/booksearch?keyword=healing+the+hardware+of+the+soul&mtype=B&hs.x=0&hs.y=0&hs=Submit

Dr A has a Catholic Christian background that comes across strongly in the book but it is not a religion book. He is semi-natural so he focuses on diet and supplements as well as being open to medication when necessary. He includes many, many fascinating examples of people who had life changing gains with his more holistic approach to life–healthy mind, body and spirit.

After a couple years of changes in diet, supplements and heavy metal detox–Cutler–I was surprised that I was much more comfortable in social situations. I had been rather introverted for decades. I had made the changes due to strange bone density problem but was surprised at the very positive, unexpected effects on mood, intellectual performance, stamina, food sensitivities and other minor issues.
 
When I spent time at the Holy Spirit Monastery in Conyers, GA, a Trappist monastery, I was given card about Centering Prayer or Prayer of the Heart.

This card has 3 Basic rules. It starts with finding a quiet place where you can sit quietly with eyes closed.
  1. Take a moment to quiet down, get calm, and in faith call upon God dwelling withing you to help. Remember this is not your work, but God’s]
  2. After getting centered in loving faith, take up the prayer-word, (such as God, Christ…) say it several times interiorly. St. Francis de Sales would say to repeat the name of Jesus if you would have peace. ]
    3)Whenever we become aware of any thought or mental activity, then we gently return to the prayer-word, repeating it a few times to get back into the silent darkness where God dwells within, who will reveal Himself as he promised.
I put my words into brackets to differentiate from the what was actually written on the card. The recommendation is 2 periods a day of 10-15 minutes. The card I have has a design on the front side to help with focus. It is the Love and God written so that they form a cross with the O at the center. In the center of the O is a heart. The background is back. The card explains the symbolism of the card.

Before going to Conyers, I had also learned to use the Jesus prayer and beads as a means to centering prayer. I have read about treating intruding thoughts as so many buzzing flies. They will come around. Just brush them out of the way rather than trying so hard to fight them. Return to the word or phrase.

Even the rosary can be a means to this quiet time in your life. Take small steps and don’t expect it to happen overnight.
 
Gertabelle said:
I find that praying parts of the Liturgy of the Hours helps me with interior silence. God speaks to my heart through His Word – the Psalms – so there is less mindless chatter on my end. :o

Daily mass (when I can make it) also provides my heart and mind with silence, as does time in adoration.

I also have times when I just can’t silence my own thoughts. In those moments, I remember how much I love my son, even when he just sits in the cars and chatters on and on and on about Pokemon, Star Wars Rebels, or The Lord of the Rings. And that child can do some serious non-stop talking!

Thankfully, God loves me more than I love my son. So when all my brain can do is chatter on and on, I just smile sheepishly at God and tell Him I guess I just have to talk today. I imagine He just sits with me and listens to my heart, like a patient parent who understands me better than I know myself.

Just go to God however you are, with whatever you have in your mind and heart. He’ll meet you where you’re at.

God bless you!
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts about your talkative son. ❤️ It really ministered to me & my chatty brain.
 
Check this out:

www.sacrespace.ie

They offer a daily reflection that can be accomplished in less than ten minute with guidance if you click on the various options per slide.
Very nice, and calming.
 
I like some of the devotions in the sacrespace place, but don’t think you have to “do more stuff” because it becomes such a habit to consider you must not be doing enough or enough right. That is natural, because that is drilled into us during our formative years in school. If you don’t understand work harder, do more, etc.

The funny part is it’s like trying to willfully not think about anythink. Which is why it can take time to learn to relax and let go of trying to control our appearances. For a little while, nobody is grading us or judging us or giving us Bad Marks that will stay in our Permanent Record.
 
Mystical_Seeker said:
I like some of the devotions in the sacrespace place, but don’t think you have to “do more stuff” because it becomes such a habit to consider you must not be doing enough or enough right. That is natural, because that is drilled into us during our formative years in school. If you don’t understand work harder, do more, etc.

The funny part is it’s like trying to willfully not think about anythink. Which is why it can take time to learn to relax and let go of trying to control our appearances. For a little while, nobody is grading us or judging us or giving us Bad Marks that will stay in our Permanent Record.
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:confused:
I think sacred space is fairly minimal. 🤷
 
anonymous1995 said:
Electronic gadgets do provide me with a lot of useful information, but they at the same time make me less tolerant to reading and less patient to others.

I feel burdened by excessive interaction and social gatherings.

At the same time, I am worried about unemployment in the future.

I need more silence. Tried making prayer plans but failed. Very often prayers become my monologue instead of a dialogue with Jesus. A lot of thoughts fill my mind and I simply can’t calm down for silent prayers. Very often monologues sustain for an hour and then I fall asleep - I don’t think this one-way ‘chat’ a conversation with God.

I also feel that my Reason is challenging my Spirituality. As I read and think more, different values seem to challenge my belief: I do believe, but it becomes more like a ‘rational’ recognition instead of spiritual experience. For instance, I believe in the Eucharist because the Church says so, and the theological reasons convince me, but there is something lacking in this ‘belief’.
Click to expand...
I hear you…

You may want to start small with regards to daily devotions. The Angelus perhaps?
 
Trying daily Rosary - hope the habit will persist.

Just say the Rosary and ‘pour’ all my emotion into the five decades… hope it works
 
Liturgy of the hours for sure (preferably from a book to get away from the device temptation). Also, Lectio Divina. Sacred space is a good site as well. It is conducive to meditation and silence, and you can make the daily Gospel reading your source for Lectio, with help from the preparatory prayer and meditation on the site.
 
OraLabora said:
Liturgy of the hours for sure (preferably from a book to get away from the device temptation). Also, Lectio Divina. Sacred space is a good site as well. It is conducive to meditation and silence, and you can make the daily Gospel reading your source for Lectio, with help from the preparatory prayer and meditation on the site.
Click to expand...
After years of using the single volume Christian Prayer, I finally splurged for the full set 4 Volume set for Liturgy of the Hours. Having the full set allows me to begin my day with the Office of Readings and to go immediately into Morning Prayer. Everything is together. I don’t do anything, in terms of prayer time off the internet. I have a corner spot in my apartment set aside for this purpose.
You can make your prayer corner as comfortable as you like. I have read about people taking their cup of morning coffee out to the back porch with them to enjoy with their morning talk with the Lord. I don’t go quite that far. I do however have a comfortable chair in the corner of my studio apartment. In other places, it has been the corner of a living room or bedroom. Nearby there would be a small table or bookcase for my Bible and other religious books. You can set up a home altar. Make it as personal as you like. It’s your sacred corner for a home retreat. Everything I need for my prayer time is there.
I still carry the small Shorter Christian Prayer in my backpack for use when I’m not at home in time for Evening Prayer. I no longer have a vehicle, but the small volume fits in a glove compartment for easy access.
When I had a spiritual advisor, he recommended using lectio Divina as part of my daily journal, a practice to which I need to return. The single verse becomes the first sentence of my journal entry of the day. He had me start with Romans.
 
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