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An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart:
Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening.
Week One: Awakening the Listening Heart
DAY 2 – Silence
“For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.”
Psalm 62.5 RSV
Silence is the doorway through which the listening heart begins to hear God. Advent invites us into a quieter interior space, not by removing every sound, but by creating room within the soul where God’s presence can be received. Silence is not emptiness. Silence is a posture of readiness.
In the spiritual life, the greatest obstacles to hearing God often come not from the outside, but from within. Thoughts run ahead. Worries circle. Interior noise fills the mind. Silence teaches the soul to slow down, release the clutter, and rest in the presence of the Lord who speaks gently.
Sacred silence is not the absence of activity. It is the presence of attentiveness. It teaches the heart to lean in. It helps us let go of control so grace can soften the places that have become tense or hurried. Silence honors God’s desire to speak in a personal and intimate way.
The discerning heart learns that silence is not something we create. It is something we enter. It is the humble space where God waits for us.
Journey with the Saints –
St. John of the Cross
“The Father spoke one Word, which was His Son, and this Word He speaks always in eternal silence, and in silence must it be heard by the soul.”
St. John of the Cross, The Sayings of Light and Love, 99
St. John of the Cross teaches that God speaks His Word within the depths of the silent heart. He reminds us that silence is not a technique. It is the environment of intimacy. Only in silence can the soul receive the One whom the Father continually pours out.
For John, silence purifies the heart’s attention. It clears away the noise that distorts our vision and helps us recognize Christ’s gentle inspirations. In silence, we are not trying to make something happen. We are consenting to God’s presence. Silence frees the heart to listen with love rather than effort.
John of the Cross learned that silence is not emptiness. It is communion. It is the place where the soul rests in the truth that God is already near.
Reflection for the Listening Heart
Today invites you to notice your inner landscape. Where is there noise inside you. Where do your thoughts run quickly. Where does worry or distraction pull your attention away from God. Silence is not about pushing these things aside. It is about letting them settle so the heart can remember who is with you.
Listening begins when the interior noise quiets enough for Christ to be received. Even a few seconds of genuine silence can open a space for grace to enter. Ask the Lord to help you listen in that silence, not with strain, but with trust.
Ask yourself: Where is God inviting me into a deeper quiet today. What would it look like for me to enter silence instead of resisting it.
A Simple Practice for Today
Set aside one intentional moment of silence today. Sit or stand quietly, slow your breathing, and simply say, “Here I am, Lord.” Let your mind settle without trying to control it. Return to that quiet later in the day by pausing for a single slow breath and saying, “Lord, I receive Your peace.”
Prayer
Lord Jesus, draw my heart into silence. Quiet the thoughts that pull me away and soften the places that feel restless or crowded. Teach me to enter the stillness where You wait for me. Speak Your Word into the silence of my soul and help me to listen with love. Amen.
For more of the episodes of
An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor visit here
Citations for Day 2
Psalm 62.5 RSV
St. John of the Cross, The Sayings of Light and Love, 99
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