Recently, our family went to a restaurant for a special night out. Like many establishments, there were TVs on every wall, music playing, and the constant hum of commotion. As we surveyed our fellow patrons, to no surprise, many were invested more in their phones than their companions or food. 

 

What came to my surprise was how my eyes kept drifting towards the flickering of the TV. To my wife’s annoyance, she had to regularly repeat herself to the kids and me. It took a tremendous effort to squeeze out our order as each child had to be repeatedly pulled back to the conversation. If such a simple distraction can take us away from the physical person sitting across from us, how much easier is it for these distractions to do the same with God, who we cannot see.

 

Our world is so full of noise and distractions that it is nearly impossible to be present to the moment or the person in front of us. We are addicted to distractions whether it be our phone, entertainment, politics, work, or constant activities. We are in perpetual motion and stress as we run from one thing to the next: chasing after life but never being present to it. The thought of being still or silent is almost painful, yet it is the one thing we need to do most. 

 

In the first reading this Sunday, Elijah did not find God in wind, the crushing rocks, the earthquake, or fire. He encountered 

 

God in a “whisper” (1 Kg 19:11-12). It is in quiet prayer and reflection that we encounter God and know His love for us. It is where, “I look at Him and He looks at me” (CCC 2715).

 

The Gospel reading offers us similar insight. A great storm raged against the Apostles at sea, and Jesus called Peter to walk on the water with Him. Peter was able to walk on water as long as he kept his focus on Jesus. As soon as he turned to look at the storm, he began to sink. There will always be a storm raging or a distraction seeking to take our attention away from God. If we take our eyes off Him, we are in danger of drowning. 

 

We must make a conscious effort to unplug, slow down, and be in the presence of God. We do not always have to have our ear buds in, the TV going, or our phone on. We also can let the world worry about itself. We can step back, and it will still manage to go on without us. 

 

Even Jesus took time away from His ministry. Just before the storm, Matthew tells us that Jesus “dismissed the crowds” and “went up on the mountain by himself to pray.” (Mt 14:22-23). The Catechism of the Catholic Church says we cannot “undertake contemplative prayer only when one has the time: one makes time for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up …” (CCC 2710). As we would make plans to visit with friends, we need to put Jesus on our schedule and keep to it. 

 

Time with God can be done anywhere, and He will delight in you all the same. However, the more distractions you can eliminate, the more fruitful it will be. The most extraordinary place for this is in the presence of the Lord Himself. Our diocese is blessed with numerous churches and adoration chapels where Jesus is waiting for us. I encourage you to visit him and be attentive to our Lord’s presence in the soft whisper and to keep your eye fixed on Him in the storm.

 

Wherever you are, when you find yourself racing through life, you can find strength by slowly reciting Psalm 46:11. It is the prayer I say when I first enter church. I look to the tabernacle and imagine Jesus saying, “Be still and know that I am God!”