Sound of Silence

Sound of Silence is the voice of the soul, a reflection for everyone who seeks to make a difference in the world around them. Poems and prayers in this collection are by great men from ages who craved for peace and justice.

It reflects the values and concerns for peace, love and justice, an invincible thread that binds the human race. Often there is a tendency to ignore the inner voice, the voice of the soul, when it speaks to us. Mahatma Gandhi listened to his inner voice in silence. Spending time in silence and in meditation helped him to hear the voice of his soul - his conscience.

The collection of prayers and poems brought out under the title Sound of Silence is codified keeping in mind the meditational purpose for anyone who would like to spend time to communicate with one's conscience and hear the voice of God in silence.

A social activist and development professional, Reni K Jacob is associated with various national and international forums, campaigns, coalitions and movements. He was associated with International NGOs like World Vision India as its Director of Advocacy and presently with International Justice Mission.

He is deeply concerned and actively pursues the goals of peace building, child protection and rights, gender equality, rights of the disabled and economic empowerment of the marginalized sections. He is professionally trained in diverse areas such as Law, Theology, Social Work, Pastoral Sociology and Business Administration.

He is based in Chennai. He can be reached at renikjacob@gmail.com

We live in a fast-paced world where nobody wants to slow down for the one who walks behind us. We forget the fact that we are here only for a short while, and even the memory of us will fade away. What will remain is the positive impact we have made in the lives of others. What this world needs is a human touch, a word of encouragement, a little time spent with the ones nobody cares for.

Prayer is an expression of our intimacy with God. The height of intimacy is complete dependency on God, no matter what happens in life. Prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue. The first ever cordless phone was created by God himself - he called it prayer. It needs no signals and can be used by anyone, anywhere and at any time.

Do we listen to the soft voice of God speaking to us all the time? It is a remarkable experience to spend a few minutes in silence each day, listening to this voice, just to discern what God is saying to us.

Prayer is not only about asking, it is an expression of the longing of the soul and the daily admission of one's weakness.

One day a Guru, while talking about the importance of quiet time in our lives, gave a glass full of muddy water to each disciple, which they took and kept on the floor. After the speech he asked them to observe the glass and the result was amazing. The suspended particles settled down through the process of sedimentation. The water became clear and still. Then he told them that this is what will happen within our minds if we spend a few minutes in silence in the presence of God as we start and end the day, or any time in between.

The collection of these prayers was done while leading meditations and devotional sessions with peace movements, coalitions and religious groups for the last twenty years in India and abroad. These prayers highlight the great transformative power of meditation. It is through meditation that one is integrated with the divine mysteries and the will of God. By intellectual reasoning one cannot comprehend the fullness of God or discover godly ways. Read these prayers and meditate on them. This experience will surely help you become more connected with the beauty and sovereignty of the divine power who controls the Universe.

**Contents and Sample Pages**