HOme of the Word

HOme of the Word

Hearing the voice of the other

Verse: Psalm 119:97, 105

Being alone does not mean that we have come to silence and solitude. Much more is required than simply to remove oneself physically from other people. To come to solitude means to come to a productive stillness - a stillness in which, having laid aside our daily cares, we bend our inner ear to listen carefully to our inner voice, the voice that seeks to speak to us beyond the many voices of our anxious, our pragmatic, our socialized self. Henri Nouwen reminds us that "silence is the home of the word".But not of any word. For if our solitude is to be productive, then we must not only hear the voice of our anxious or socialized self. We need to hear the other voice. The voice of creativity. The voice of the Spirit. The voice of our hopes and dreams. The voice that gently turns us around and sets us on a better path. The voice that calls us to be more true to our greater aspirations.In silence and quiet reflection this other voice can speak with uncanny clarity and certainty. And when this is prayerfully submitted to God for his approval and possible modification, this clarity can make our life more significant and productive. For we will be doing not simply what is expected for us, but what is creatively new.

Source: Dare to Journey with Henri Nouwen by Charles Ringma