Fast-forward from the 70’s to these modern times and we are all bombarded by sounds, messages, images, communications and a constant cacophony of ring tones, alerts, alarms, bells and messages. Add to this the social media exchanges in which we engage, and the podcasts we listen to, Pandora and other playlists, and there is a greater amount of noise in our daily lives than ever before. All of this brings with it a certain fatigue as the human mind and heart try to process the flood of sounds and images coming at us.
With noise comes anxiety as we are unable to find enough time and space to reflect clearly on anything. Busyness and countless demands prevent us from finding the quiet time we need to think and pray about important matters. Discerning various matters before us and listening for the movement of the Holy Spirit can be challenging. As with everything, we want instant clarity and direction, yet without the constant routine of prayerful discernment we can become impatient with the Lord, troubled and insecure. There is simply too much coming at us at times with little respite from the onslaught.
I believe two things have added greatly to the level of “noise” in our lives: talk radio and social media. Talk radio encourages people to “sound off” about anything and everything that takes place in life. People have grown so accustomed to making comments about everything, often with a very critical tone. Talk radio personalities throw out a topic to “stir people up” to get them to “weigh-in” on the matter. Nothing they say really matters. It simply gets them a bit fired up and distracted from what really matters. What an odd form of entertainment! Likewise, social media has cost the majority of its users countless hours of distraction and a kind of interior noise bombarding them with information that is little more than fodder for gossip. Gossip is noise about someone or something, often harmful and rarely good.
All of this can lead to an interior noise – an uneasiness of spirit and various levels of anxiety. I call the concern about what others think of me, how I compare with my peers, how I fit in socially or not, and worry about my image and popularity an “interior noise.” Just as social media posts, especially among adolescents, crave the “like” symbol, so interior noise is always assessing myself, my status, my popularity, seeking acceptance and fearing rejection. Interior noise is relentless, and unless we address it directly, it can dominate our lives.
Interior noise can be quieted by pursuing a deeper relationship with the Lord. The truth is that each of us is precious, unique, gifted, and graced. We are a never-to-be-repeated wonder in all of God’s creation. As we begin to draw our self-esteem from the truth of God’s love for us, it begins to quiet the interior noise of competition, comparison, fear of rejection and inadequacy that the world around us makes our focus. We are beloved sons and daughters of God our Father. In baptism we received that identity. Our confidence in the Lord comes from the truth of our identity, given to us in baptism. It is the noise of this world that robs us of our peace and the interior noise that drowns out the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Certainly, it would be helpful to first reduce the exterior noise around us….to slow down the constant barrage of information, images and electronic stimulation in our lives. To that end, seminary programs are instituting “technology fasts” for new students in order to acclimate them better to priestly formation, prayer and meditation. As we reduce the exterior noise of life around us, we can then begin to draw closer to the Lord and reduce the interior noise as well. As we make space for the Holy Spirit to inspire us, we learn that our minds and hearts don’t have to be “in the know” about everything.
In my role as a bishop, people want me to speak up about all kinds of things. Our culture has grown accustomed to “calling people out” over just about everything. When the pope or another bishop is doing something about which I may disagree, I carefully consider whether or not I need to make some public comment about it. The gospel teaches us to take our concerns directly to the person, and then perhaps with two witnesses share with them our concern, and only after that perhaps in a more public way to bring it to the attention of others. It’s better to work quietly for unity than contribute to the noise.
St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) often said, “In silence, the Lord speaks.” It is my hope to replace noise in my life with silence, so that I might hear what the Holy Spirit is telling me, rather than contributing to the conversation, debate, or clamor about so many things. May the gift of Wisdom lead and guide us to greater silence so that we can preserve interior peace and union with the Lord. By the end of the day, the telephone I never had growing up now has been active in my every waking hour. Let us cultivate interior silence and allow the peace of Christ to surround us!
