Our conversations turned to God. Why are we here? Who made us? What is going to happen to us after we die? I always found it fascinating that stars made us feel so little — a speck on this grand Earth. Sitting under that vast stretch of night sky, we experienced unwavering feelings of awe and humility.
As we grew older, I thought about why we did not watch the stars as often as we used to. I believe it has to do with being over-stimulated. With many distractions in our daily lives, including cellphones, computers and iPods, it is understandable that we often lose ourselves and the presence of God in our lives. Watching the stars is like prayer. When we become less willing to open ourselves to the healing that God provides, we allow materialism and noise to consume us.
Many people fail to notice the power of silence, but not the wise few who have acknowledged its sacredness. Mother Teresa said, “We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature — trees, flowers, grass — grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.”
It’s odd that we have to search for silence when it exists in so many situations. Have you ever reached someone with a smile, lit up a soul with a hug or said all that was needed with a simple and comforting nod? Just as we often overlook how much pain a smirk or scornful shrug can inflict, we also overlook the profound joy and warmth a small gesture of kindness can bring.
While people must learn to use silence to touch souls, they must also learn to heal their own. As Mother Teresa said, look to nature to find a sacred stillness. Take a walk in the woods, bathe in sunlight or even sit alone on a park bench and reflect. When one is contemplative and thankful in this peace, it is definitely a worthy form of prayer.
My sister once told me creation is God’s first reflection of Himself. That’s why I hope our urbanized society will learn to look at stars again. After all, we cannot be nourished in noise, but only in the silence that comes from loving God. God is always waiting, and when we respond silently to His call, we will have found the true essence of our Catholic faith.
(Milavec, 16, is a Grade 11 student at Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School in Toronto.)
Being still and finding God
By Natasha Milavec, Youth Speak News
For many years at my cottage, my friends and I would haul a bag of popcorn and a heap of blankets up a huge hill and then lay them down to watch the stars. At first, our conversations were typically childish, consisting of funny stories or statements on the latest fad.
As the night went on, it became so dark that we could hardly see our hands in front of our faces. The stars were all we could see and they became so big and bright to our eyes that it was as if we could touch them. It was while watching this speckled wonder that our conversations would go much deeper and become much more philosophical.
As the night went on, it became so dark that we could hardly see our hands in front of our faces. The stars were all we could see and they became so big and bright to our eyes that it was as if we could touch them. It was while watching this speckled wonder that our conversations would go much deeper and become much more philosophical.
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