The Deacon Dave & Layperson Lisa Show

So often I put my trust either in myself or in the hands of the world as if it is going to get me somewhere - and it does, but it is not eternal. Cardinal Sarah points directly to the idea that we should fall into the arms of God because he is all we really need. That all things should point directly toward God and an ever deepening relationship with Him. I was recently meeting with a group of men...

It is very easy for me to want to talk and often hard for me to just remain silent. Today Cardinal Sarah is reminding me that prudence in speech, prudence in the situations I place myself, are so very important to the spiritual life. It is easy for us to offend our soul or the soul of others - to disrupt the flow of grace. More times than not it is better to remain silent within a conversation, to...

It is one thing to tell others how to live their lives according to the Truth Who is Jesus, but we too must live out OUR lives in this same way. What goes on in the secret of our hearts is always known to Jesus. What is silent in our hearts and goes maybe unknown to others, Jesus knows. As the silent presence of God is immersed into who we are, we become more aware and are convicted in our own hea...

Cardinal Sarah strikes hard at a critical point in the church today - the desire to change the Truth as found in Jesus Christ and handed down through the Magisterium of the Church. This is creating great turmoil on a variety of different fronts. As I reflected on this, this great turmoil likely starts in the heart of each person and is then fed by the noise of the world that seeks to inflame these...

Some of the greatest examples I have received in my life have been in the silence - without words. I was on a retreat one time and we were having adoration and there was this one lady that just lingered and gazed at the blessed sacrament for quite a bit longer after everyone had left. This was eight years ago and I have never forgotten that moment because she spoke to me in the silence of that mom...

We go to God with praise and thanksgiving for using us as a vessel to do good works on His behalf. The whole process of doing good should help us grow in sanctification and not in pride and ego - therefore, keeping silent is an effective way to internalize what God is doing through us. But this battle may still rage on even in the interior of who we are. There is what we present to people and what...

Seems like we have this disordered desire to be heard which is often vanity and the disordered desire to comment on the actions/words of others which often brings no value to the situation - in fact, it lessens instead of increasing. Imagine prayer time where we do all the talking where we are asking God to conform things to our will. I have certainly been guilty of this in the past. More listenin...

Things of the world tend to influence us to become more selfish and less selfless. Time spent in silence with God does exactly the opposite. We become more selfless and our true identity is revealed instead of being covered up by the noise of the world. Silence forms our conscience in a way that helps us to see the beauty God has created in all people and things and to reorder are thinking toward...

Cardinal Sarah talks about silence being our greatest freedom. Through God’s attentiveness to all we do, He is constantly inviting us to experience the fullness of freedom which is time with him in hte silence. As I reflect on this reading this morning, the sun is rising but glistening off the clouds which are moving quickly by in the silence. Yet the message is one of great power - the power of G...

Interior rest and harmony are found in silence. Cardinal Sarah provides beautiful examples of how the very outpouring of nature is done in silence from the baby’s womb to an underground river. As I sit in my prayer room reflecting on the reading for today, I glance at my statues of the many different saints in the quietness of this room. And each statue, without sayings word, brings to mind a stor...

Seems like we are always on the go looking for the next new thing. We are always in a hurry and we can be this same way when spending time with God. We need to practice waiting. Maybe pick the longest line at the grocery store. It is amazing what God can reveal to us when we slow down experience our surroundings.