Video Transcript

Edmund: Hey. In today’s world, we’re constantly bombarded with noise. I mean, sometimes when I’m out—especially places like this—it can be really fun. But also it can remind me that I’m surrounded by distractions and noise. Not just literal audio noise, but also just the noise of social media and information and just things that distract me from what’s most important in my life.

Quiet time is so essential for maintaining our overall mental health. And also our spiritual health. A 2006 study found that a 2-minute period of silence after listening to music significantly reduced people’s blood pressure and heart rate. And periods of quiet have also been found to increase productivity and improve problem-solving.

And this issue of all the distractions and noise in our daily lives, it extends beyond our mental health. It also can affect our spiritual lives.

Research suggests taking a step back from the usual busyness and distractions of everyday life has a lot of positive effects on our brain and our body. But it turns out, it can also help our spiritual lives. And the most important relationship, which is our relationship with God.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot. And now, when I’m in noisy, public places—which can be fun—I’m reminded that while Jesus was out in public ministry often, He still carved out time to be alone in silence.

So Jesus—even though there were demands of Him from other people; even though there was busyness of this very important ministry—He still took time to wake up at a set time—early in the morning—and to be alone in a desolate place to pray.

Waking up early to pray was part of Jesus’ daily routine. And the other point to focus on here is that He went away to a quiet place.

So what does that mean for us? Well, it means that it’s important to consider the quality of the time we’re spending in this very important relationship. And by setting aside quiet time for prayer, we can actually nurture our relationship with Jesus. And this is a practical way we can actually grow our relationship with Him; is by increasing the quality of the time we spend.

Just like any meaningful relationship or endeavor requires preparation and some thoughtfulness, our relationship with Jesus also needs quality time. And it benefits from time away from distraction.

This is why some people are called to religious monastic life. Is because they feel called to dive really deep into that solitude; that desolate place of intense quiet and contemplation and prayer with God.

So not everyone is called to monastic life, but what if we could create a little monastery for ourselves? We actually can! We can create a little sacred space somewhere in our home; somewhere quiet that reminds us of Jesus’ example to step away from the busyness.

And then I want to talk about three expressions of prayer that we can bring into this time. Really simply, a few seconds or a few minutes spent on each, and just create this routine built on quiet time in order to grow our relationship with Jesus.

So thankfully, the Catechism explains these three expressions of prayer, which are vocal prayer, meditation, and contemplation. It explains these three expressions in this way in paragraph 2699: “The Lord leads all persons by paths and in ways pleasing to him, and each believer responds according to his heart’s resolve and the personal expressions of his prayer. However, Christian Tradition has retained three major expressions of prayer: vocal, meditative, and contemplative. They have one basic trait in common: composure of heart. This vigilance in keeping the Word and dwelling in the presence of God makes these three expressions intense times in the life of prayer.”

So here’s how we can do this: go to your place of quiet in prayer and start with that composure of heart. Start by quieting your mind, quieting your body, and turning your attention to God, And then next, let’s just start with simple vocal prayer. You can pray something really simple out loud, as if you were talking to Jesus and He was right there with you. Or you can pray a simple vocal prayer of the sign of the cross: “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

Then we move to meditation. Thankfully, the Catechism explains what meditation is. In paragraph 2706, it says: “To meditate on what we read helps us to make it our own by confronting it with ourselves. Here, another book is opened: the book of life. We pass from thoughts to reality. To the extent that we are humble and faithful, we discover in meditation the movements that stir the heart and we are able to discern them. It is a question of acting truthfully in order to come into the light: ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’”

In meditation, we’re taking time really reflecting on a passage of Scripture or sacred art—something about God—and we’re confronting it with ourselves and asking God “Lord, what do you want me to do?”

So take some time; just reflecting on that passage and really trying to listen to what God is trying to say to you—what God wants you to know—through this meditation.

And then finally, we have contemplative prayer. Now this one is a little trickier, because we can’t force contemplative prayer; it’s a gift. God gives this to us, but we can be more prepared for it. And the first step is understanding it.

In paragraph 2717, it says: “Contemplative prayer is silence, the “symbol of the world to come” or “silent love.” 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.”

So after going through those first two expressions of prayer—vocal and meditation—just spend some time asking God for the gift of contemplation; spend some time again ending in silence.

Try this for just 5-10 minutes every morning. Make it a goal to do it for 14 days straight.

Jesus wants you to join Him out in a quiet place, where He’s having a conversation with you; where He wants to encounter you and build this relationship. And it will begin to change your heart. This is the life God is calling you to. And this is prayer, the life of the new heart walking daily with Jesus.