Silence necessary to hear God's voice, explains Peruvian cardinal

Lima, Peru, Jul 14, 2010 / 09:56 am

In his Sunday homily, the Archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, encouraged the faithful to seek out moments of silence each day in order to hear the voice of God.

"Look at the cross, listen to that heartbeat, see the gaze of Christ, the wounds that we have given him, read the Gospel," the cardinal instructed. 

He then commented on the words of Moses, "Hear the voice of the Lord your God."  The cardinal explained: "In order to listen, we need to separate ourselves from our concerns, our difficulties. Perhaps Jesus is speaking to you in the depths of your soul, but in a whisper, and you can't hear it because of the noise. 

"This is what meditation is for, to learn to take our eyes away from our curiosity, to close our ears, which always want to hear something," he continued.

Cardinal Cipriani gave several examples showing how small acts of love mean a great deal when they are completed with faith. "If you smile at your wife and your children, that means a lot. If you pray a Hail Mary asking Our Lady to help you to be good, it means a lot. If you visit a friend who is alone or sick, it means a lot. If you avoid criticizing others, it means a lot."

The cardinal urged Peruvians to talk to God each day, in the morning and each night, before going to bed. "Each day when you wake up and before you go to sleep, speak to God and say, 'Here I am, thank you for another day of life, what do you want of me?"