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God, friend of silence

by
05 December 2014

The prayer of listening is the Advent way, wrote Mother Teresa. From a new selection from her writings

Day 7 

WE NEED to find God in Advent, and He cannot be found in noise. 

God is the friend of silence. See how nature grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and sun, how they move in silence. 

Is not our mission to give God to the poor? Not a dead God, but a living, loving God. We need silence to be able to touch souls.

The essential thing is not what we say, but what God says to us and through us.

Place on my lips your greatest praise,
Illuminating others around me.
May I preach you with actions more than with words,
with the example of my actions, with the visible light of the love that comes from you to my heart. Amen.

 

Day 12 

PRAYER is a recurring word in my vocabulary at Advent. Prayer feeds the soul. As blood is to the body, prayer is to the soul. Prayer brings you closer to God.

We want the poor to be loved and feel loved. We cannot go to them with sad faces. God loves a cheerful giver. He gives most who gives with joy. Joy is prayer; joy is strength. Joy is love. Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. The best way to show your gratitude to God and the people is to accept everything with joy. A joyful heart is the normal result of a heart burning with love. Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of Christ risen.

These extracts are taken from Mother Teresa on Advent and Christmas, edited by John Scully (The Columba Press, £8.50 (CT Bookshop £7.65); 978-1-78218-195-8).

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