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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

8A

Do you like silence or do you find it difficult? Are you more of an introvert or extrovert?

Do you have any moments of silence or stillness in your day? What gets in the way?

Why has our society become so busy and so noisy? What could help us slow down?

What other ideas or questions strike you from this part of the film?

 

8B

Was there a particular moment when you felt very close to God? Can you share the experience?

What helps you remember God during the day? Why are we so forgetful?

Do you find it helpful praying in a church? Where is your favourite place to pray?

What other ideas or questions strike you from this part of the film?

 

KEY IDEAS FROM THE FILM

All of us need moments of silence and stillness. So much of life is already too busy: the mobile phone, social media, emails, notifications; the noise of the streets and the city; the chaos of so much family life; the background music in every shop or restaurant. It’s 24/7.

In Psalm 46 it says, “Be still, and know that I am God”. Once, when the disciples were in a boat on the Lake of Galilee, they went into a terrible storm. In Mark’s Gospel it says, “Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet now! Be still!’. Then the wind died down and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). Jesus brings peace.

Every Christian needs at least some time for personal prayer each day, even if it is two minutes snatched from the rush of the day, or trying to get up before the rest of the house awakes. And most of us, in that time of prayer, need a few moments of silence, when we can become more aware of what is on our heart, on our mind, on our conscience, and more aware of God’s holy presence. You don’t have to force anything, and you are not trying to achieve anything. The point is just to be there, lovingly, attentively, with the Lord.

This leads to a bigger theme, which is the importance of trying to live in the presence of God through the busyness of the day, and not just in these precious moments of prayer. This awareness of God’s presence is called different things in the Christian tradition: sometimes it’s called “recollection” or “the remembrance of God” or “the practice of the presence of God”. It’s a sign of living what is sometimes called an “interior life”. It’s connected with St Paul’s encouragement to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thes 4:16). This doesn’t mean we have to talk to God all day, every day; but it might mean we are open to his presence in all that we are doing, just as Jesus was constantly aware of his Father’s presence.

Recollection is not a feeling or an emotion, like a spiritual high when we feel very close to God. It’s a quiet, inner, spiritual awareness that God is real, and that he is present with us, loving us, guiding us. It is, simply, about our faith in him, but it’s a conscious faith, one that opens the door to the reality we believe in.

This consciousness of God’s presence can stop us getting lost in the distractions and temptations of the world around us. It can help us notice the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and be more willing to do God’s will. And it can give us a deeper desire for silence and solitude – not to withdraw from the world or the people around us, but to be more detached and less caught up in the busyness.

We can build some reminders of God into our day. This is why it’s good to have a routine of prayer, some fixed moments in the morning and evening. We can hang a crucifix on the wall at home, to remind us of the love of Jesus. We can say grace before meals, to remember that all gifts come from God. It’s good to pray spontaneously through the day, whenever the thought of God comes to mind; to send an “arrow prayer” up to God – that’s a quick prayer of praise or intercession that doesn’t interrupt the other things I am doing; or to offer up to him a suffering or disappointment.

We are all different, we are not all monks or nuns with hours of time to pray each day. But all of us need moments of silence in our prayer. All of us need the grace of recollection, the remembrance of God, as we go through each day. Silent prayer leads to a greater recollection. And recollection leads to a growing desire for silence. Whatever we are doing, the focus is always on God.