The Tower of Babel, c. 1563, Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Sister Beckett writes...What Silence principally armors us against is Babel: the endless foolish chatter, words used to confound thought, words misused to ward off friendship or attachments, words as occupation. The biblical Babel was a metaphor for the loss of human ability to communicate as a consequence of the rise of different languages; but the foreignness of other tongues is a smokescreen. To express what one means, and to hear what another means: this is a rare thing. Babel is profoundly destructive of our energies, as Bruegel so splendidly shows. This monstrous tower is consuming all who labor on or near it. We have an absolute need for quiet, for the heart's wordless resting on God.
Prayer:
"Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee"
- Augustine of Hippo, 354-430AD
Find a quiet place for 5 minutes.
Close your eyes.
Breathe out the phrase "My heart is restless" in a calm and deliberate manner
Breathe in while saying "Until it rests in thee" in the silence of your mind
Out, say the phrase
In, say the next phrase
Out
In
If you find you're in a place that is not conducive to quiet, you can repeat the same practice with eyes open and walking about your work, quieting your spirit while the world continues to turn about you. The world may never know you are praying, but hopefully they experience the fruit of your prayer. A calm and sure soul.
After five minutes, Finish with the Lord's prayer: Our Father,
Who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom,
the power,
and the glory, Forever. Amen.
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