“‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.’” (Matthew 21:27).
I remember that when I was a little girl, the world was fascinated with Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
There she was, a tiny little nun who would shuffle around in her white and blue sari and work with he poorest of the poor. And the world was fascinated with her. Journalists queued to have some time with her to talk about her work and to consider her contribution to the world.
And this great Saint – through her work – changed the way that we see the world!
Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “What is essential is not what we say but what God tells us and what He tells others through us. In silence He listens to us; in silence He speaks to our souls. In silence we are granted the privilege of listening to His voice.”
And I have been reflecting on those words of that Saint because they are very powerful.
Often, when I pray, I approach God with my agenda. First, I will say the Divine Mercy. Then a Rosary (or maybe two) and then I will conclude with some reading. I am like a child, who lists out all the activities that I wish to participate in at the fair.
But there are problems with that approach. You see, when I do all the talking, I only participate in one half of the conversation. The other person is not afforded an opportunity to speak, and I am not afforded an opportunity to listen…
And when I do not give God an opportunity to speak, because I am not listening, God simply refuses to speak. And I know this because that is exactly what happened twenty centuries ago…
“The chief priests and the elders of the people came up to Him as He was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’ Jesus answered them, ‘I also will ask you a question; and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or from men?’ And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the multitude; for all hold that John was a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And He said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.’” (Matthew 21:23-27).
You see, the chief priests and the elders were trying to be clever. They were so busy listening to their own cleverness that they did not leave any room to listen to what Christ wished to tell them. In other words, they did not wish to hear the answer…
And it occurs to me today, that the most important part of prayer is the silence. For it is in the silence that I can listen, and it is in listening that I will finally have the opportunity to hear the Holy Will of God…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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