The title of one of the books I have been dipping into is Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton. The sub-title is
"Experiencing God's Transforming Presence" and I like that as it is the reason we look for silence and solitude. I have a second hand copy that was once in a Seattle library, but the only markings are mine. The foreword is by Dallas Willard who tells us that "silence is required to complete solitude. For until we enter quietness, the world still lays hold of us. When we go into solitude and silence we stop making demands on God. It is enough that God is God and we are his."
We are all invited to find more solitude and silence during this season of Advent. Jesus is silent in Mary's womb. We are invited, and it is an invitation from God's own Heart, "to leave familiar places for strange lands we cannot yet envision, without knowing when we will return."
God is inviting us; we have a choice. God honors our freedom, but Advent is about saying "yes" as Mary did. We go forward with courage and trust; God is leading us and that is all we need to know. It is a wonderful season and it is also to be the beginning of an extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy.
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