<div class="text readable"><p> Being silent in prayer requires a great deal of trust. Many of us are used to being in control, and the very idea of surrendering to a posture of listening and waiting can be difficult. As a raging extrovert, I’ve found that the times I’ve heard God clarify an enigma in my life usually occurred when I finally stopped talking!</p>
<p> Discernment requires listening. If you are trying too hard to fix or understand something, it can help to let God be God. Go on a retreat. Take some time in silence before the Blessed Sacrament. Spend time in meditative or even contemplative prayer. God speaks to us, as he did to Elijah, in a whisper. To hear that, we need to turn down the noise, both external and internal, in our lives. </p></div>