Disciplines of Jesus' Disciples: Sacred Solitude

Silence is a prerequisite to prayer. Solitude is necessary for silence. My own definition of solitude is intentionally being alone so that in silence one can be open to God. So, to enter into the Silence each day requires making an intentional effort to be alone. We have to just do it; making an appointment with God.

Of course, it is true that we can pray anywhere and should pray always. I will address some ways to do that in a later post on the discipline of Prayer. Making this daily intentional effort is called discipline. It is something our Lord himself practiced: Matt 14,23; Mk 6,46 Lk 6,12; Lk 9,18. As disciples, we practice what is taught us by our Master.

So, I urge you all to practice solitude this weekend, on both days. This may mean getting up an hour before everybody else, or staying up a bit later. Each day set aside half-an-hour to be alone with God. Begin by putting yourself in God's presence. Go to a quite place and just sit, breath, listen to the wind, your heartbeat, the hum of the electric light, whatever the "sounds of silence" are. Wait for God to communicate with you before replying. In this take a lesson from Scripture, 1 Kings 19,11-12, in which God says to Elijah "'Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.' Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence"