For a good Good Friday

Just a suggestion for observing Good Friday this year: see if you can spend the day mostly in silence. The world is a noisy place that doesn't often give us a chance to think or move beyond its distractions, to go deeper into ourselves to find where God really lives, and emerge refreshed and focused on the important things.

These days, I'm reading a wonderful little book by Anne D. LeClaire, Listening Below the Noise: A Meditation on the Practice of Silence (2009, Harper, ISBN 978-0-06-135335-2). Here's an excerpt from the flyleaf:

Silence... reminds us to pay attention to the ordinary moments of our existence. In silence we can learn how to listen, become more compassionate, ignite and nurture creativity, uncover our inner yearnings, and ultimately find peace and improve our well-being. By confronting ourselves and learning from the anxiety that arises when we are freed from distraction, we can become whole.

Honestly, it almost sounds like a self-help book, but it reads much better. LeClaire is almost poetic. And she has underlined for me why I appreciate my days off in the quiet of my home. When I don't get a quiet day in a week, I often feel off-balance or stressed in a way that's hard to explain to people who don't "get" silence.

Tonight, Christian churches around the world enter into the three high holy days of Easter, and for our family, the weekend will begin with silence, continue with an inner-city Way of the Cross walk and an evening of  Taize music, move to Easter egg dyeing and music rehearsal, and reach its climax with a Saturday evening Easter Vigil celebration and extended family time on Sunday and Monday. It's my favourite weekend of the year, and there won't be time for any online moodling.

So to you and yours, the blessings of silence and song in these holy days. Have a Happy Easter!