By Most Rev. Dr. Yvon Ambroise, Bishop of Tuticorin
What does the people in the world yearn for at the very core of their being? is a very fundamental question.
Peace of Heart is the most fundamental quest of every person. Human beings keep searching and yearning for it. There are different theories and methodologies advocated by some proponents in the form of yoga to make the mind concentrate in a focused way on some reality that one yearns for. There are likewise other disciplines advocating their own theories and practices: Zen Buddism, Transcendental Meditation, a Catholic pedagogy of meditation, etc.
These are but human means of realizing the presence of God in each one of us. In whatever efforts we may take to obtain peace of heart we must remember that it would not be our achievement but it is the grace of God freely given to us. God expects our voluntary cooperation to the action of God in us. As St. Paul says in Eph. 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”.
Silence is an Important Disposition
Because of the worries that always surround our life, of situations of tension, of entertainment programmes we spend time with, etc. our heart remains agitated or occupied. The heart loses a calm surface where life can be lived peacefully. Hence in order to reestablish a calm atmosphere of the heart we must have recourse to silence everyday in our life. It should be one of the important programmes, fixed by us every day, so that we consciously make an effort to bring daily peaceful moments in our life.
Thus the agitations of our heart, thinking, preoccupations, etc. could give place to a dialogue with God. God sees our own efforts and rewards us by giving Himself to us in such moments in various ways. If silence is not given a particular space regularly in our life it becomes a hindrance to the way God can work in us as Ps 29/11 says “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness”.
God spoke to Elias at Horeb where He was present only in the sound of a low whisper:1 Kg 19:11-13 “And he (God) said „go out and stand on the mount before the Lord‟. And behold the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke into pieces the rock before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of slow whisper… And behold there came a voice to him and said „what are you doing here, Elijah?‟” It makes it clear for us that the Lord is the God of peace. He can speak only to a listening heart that keeps its itself calm and peaceful. As Isaiah says in 30:15 “For thus said the Lord God, the Holy one of Israel. In returning and rest you shall be saved: in quietness and in trust shall be your strength”.
Interior Peace and Our Sensitivity to Humanity
This interior peace is not a luxury nor does it make our heart passive and inactive. The lives of some Sadhus and Sanniyasis may give this idea. But for a Christian such interior peace makes one more sensitive to the true love of humanity as well as to the sufferings, humanity undergoes at the present times. Such interior peace motivates us to be concerned about our neighbour as well as all those who suffer. Such persons experience an authentic compassion and make themselves available to the needs of others. A commitment to help such suffering humanity comes from this interior peace. To possess such interior peace in-depth one may have to live a prayer-life for a number of years and reach a certain maturity. One must clearly understand that without a continuous and intense prayer-life a person cannot make oneself available to others in an effective way through one’s deep concern and peace of heart.