December's theme in our house is Silence. You would think I would have picked Peace or Joy, but I picked Silence for many reasons.
Spiritually speaking - silence is a gateway to so many of the virtues. Without silence, humility would be unattainable. Without silence, patience would be much harder practice. The list goes on...
Little boy speaking - silence is a HARD task to accomplish. I think little boys would much rather move a pile of gravel with a sand shovel and a bucket than attempt to be silent! With Christmas approaching silence is even harder to accomplish. Wish lists are constantly updated and begging for the latest and best toys is consistent. Yes, silence is rough on little boys!!
In the prayer it says how there is so much noise in the world. I had the boys stop moving and talking - as silent as they possibly could be. During this brief period of silence we still heard a truck drive by, the heater turn on, the refrigerator running and the clock ticking. Even during our best attempt to be quiet - there was still noise. I used that moment as an example of how, even when we try, we are surrounded with noise. Even quiet noise is still noise.
We have talked about the best places to listen for God to talk to us. There are few places in this house were quiet remains for more than a moment. We discussed about listening for God just as we wake in the morning or right before we fall asleep at night. Also during our quiet time during the day, when there are no toys or TV allowed. Some places we thought of outside of our home include nature, with the sounds of God all around us, and church. Who dares to talk in church??
As Christ's birthday approaches we will talk about the peace and quiet that surrounded the manger that night. The awe and wonder felt by the shepherds who were blessed with a visit to the newborn King. We will discuss the beauty of silence and detachment from the world during a time when most kids think about what presents they are receiving (not what they can give back to Our Lord). I am sure our house will still be noisy, but at least we attempted to grow closer to God through a few moments of silence.
Our small prayer for the month asks Jesus to bless all the children in the world. I wanted to bring the boys to a point where they see how blessed they are to have parents, a home, gifts under the tree and the ability to help others. So often they forget how lucky they are with what they already have. I want them to do what they can for others, even if it is just a short prayer.
May Our Lord bless you this month with a new appreciation for Silence. May you be blessed with the grace to tune out the world and tune in Our Lord's words, spoken just to you.
Spiritually speaking - silence is a gateway to so many of the virtues. Without silence, humility would be unattainable. Without silence, patience would be much harder practice. The list goes on...
Little boy speaking - silence is a HARD task to accomplish. I think little boys would much rather move a pile of gravel with a sand shovel and a bucket than attempt to be silent! With Christmas approaching silence is even harder to accomplish. Wish lists are constantly updated and begging for the latest and best toys is consistent. Yes, silence is rough on little boys!!
In the prayer it says how there is so much noise in the world. I had the boys stop moving and talking - as silent as they possibly could be. During this brief period of silence we still heard a truck drive by, the heater turn on, the refrigerator running and the clock ticking. Even during our best attempt to be quiet - there was still noise. I used that moment as an example of how, even when we try, we are surrounded with noise. Even quiet noise is still noise.
We have talked about the best places to listen for God to talk to us. There are few places in this house were quiet remains for more than a moment. We discussed about listening for God just as we wake in the morning or right before we fall asleep at night. Also during our quiet time during the day, when there are no toys or TV allowed. Some places we thought of outside of our home include nature, with the sounds of God all around us, and church. Who dares to talk in church??
As Christ's birthday approaches we will talk about the peace and quiet that surrounded the manger that night. The awe and wonder felt by the shepherds who were blessed with a visit to the newborn King. We will discuss the beauty of silence and detachment from the world during a time when most kids think about what presents they are receiving (not what they can give back to Our Lord). I am sure our house will still be noisy, but at least we attempted to grow closer to God through a few moments of silence.
Our small prayer for the month asks Jesus to bless all the children in the world. I wanted to bring the boys to a point where they see how blessed they are to have parents, a home, gifts under the tree and the ability to help others. So often they forget how lucky they are with what they already have. I want them to do what they can for others, even if it is just a short prayer.
May Our Lord bless you this month with a new appreciation for Silence. May you be blessed with the grace to tune out the world and tune in Our Lord's words, spoken just to you.
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