by Susan Brinkmann
CS&T Correspondent
Silence is a state of mind, an attentive attitude, a way of remaining
connected to the contemplative dimension of life.
Less than a year before his death, Pope John Paul II delivered an
address regarding the merits of observing silence.
“In reality, only in silence does man succeed in hearing in
the depth of his conscience the voice of God, which really makes him
free,” he said. He criticized the modern world for its failure
to make time for silence and communion with God, something that he
believed could be a powerful force for peace.
Why? Because when we avoid silence, we avoid confronting ourselves,
our conscience, our fears, our God. We lose of a lot more than just
quality prayer time.
The late pope referred to the observance of silence in our lives as
an experience of the contemplative dimension of life — what
he called the “spirituality of silence.” Without it, we
run the risk of becoming like noisy gongs who are full of all kinds
of disconnected notes that will never become the song we were meant
to sing.
In an article titled, “The Eucharist and Silence,” Laurence
Freeman, O.S.B., of the Archdiocese of Melbourne allows St. Benedict
to explain what contemplative silence is: “St. Benedict has
two words we translate as silence: quies and silentium. Quies is quiet,
physical silence, an absence of noise — not banging doors, not
scraping chairs, not coughing or unwrapping sweet papers. It is the
quies we expect good parents to train their children in, a physical
self-restraint and modesty that respects the presence of other people.
Quies makes the world habitable and civil. It is grossly lacking in
urban modern culture where music invades elevators and there is rarely
a moment or place where we are not in range of man-made noise.
“Silentium, however, is not an absence of noise but a state
of mind and an attitude of consciousness turned toward others or to
God. It is attention. When someone comes to see a priest or counselor
to share a problem or grief, the priest knows that what he must above
all give is his attention. … To listen deeply, to give oneself
in the act of attention, is in fact not to judge, or fix or condemn,
but to love. Seen this way, there is indeed nothing so much like God
as silence because God is love.”
The practice of silence is not just something meant for prayer time.
It’s for always, and can mean something as simple as shutting
off the radio during the drive home to pay attention to ourselves
and how the events of the day have affected us. Or maybe it means
to say a quiet rosary after dinner or to read some Scripture before
going to bed at night, either alone or with family. Moments such as
those, so rich in silence, are the perfect breeding ground for spontaneous
prayer.
But it takes a little effort at first, Father Freeman writes: “Silence
is work. The work of loving attention and its fruit is a heart filled
with thanksgiving.”
The habit of punctuating our day with periods of silence will have
many hidden benefits, not least of which will be found in our prayer
life.
“Silence . . . is also God speaking to us,” Father Freeman
writes. “When we pay attention to God we soon realize that God
is paying attention to us. Indeed, it is God’s attention to
us that allows us to pay attention to God.”
But we have to make the first move.
In his book, “Fire Within,” Father Thomas Dubay writes:
“God, being most respectful of the freedom He has given to us,
speaks to our heart when it is uncluttered and silent. He does not
interrupt worldly conversations and pursuits. We hear Him, therefore,
only to the extent that we are disposed by inner stillness and undistracted
by selfish desires. He always allows us to have exactly what we want.
“It is the pure of heart that sees God, the single-minded person
who seeks the things above, not those on earth.”
Keeping balance in life, and not letting ourselves become too consumed
in worldly affairs, makes the observance of silence much easier. It’s
also the way to insure progress in the spiritual life.
St. Teresa of Avila, mystic and doctor of the Church, said that it
is impossible to make any progress in the spiritual life if we are
too consumed by business, possessions, and worldly pastimes.
Anyone who wishes to advance even as far as the beginner stage “will
be well advised, as far as his state in life permits, to try to put
aside all unnecessary affairs and business,” she writes in her
book, “The Interior Castle.”
This admonition illustrates just what kind of silent solitude is required
for both deeper prayer and deeper living. It’s not just about
the lessening of decibels, Father Dubay writes. It’s also about
minding St. Paul’s admonition to the Thessalonians: “Live
quietly and mind your own business.”
“What is the connection between minding our own affairs and
growth in prayer? One reason for the advice is that serious people
are likely to be agitated and even shocked at all sorts of things
that occur through the typical day,” Father Dubay writes.
“Their inner peace is unsettled, and prayer is hindered.”
Another reason is that those who meddle in other people’s concerns
are likely to make mistakes in their judgement and even to offer misguiding
advice. Thus, says Teresa, “We ought to let God take care of
His own.”
In an Angelus address on June 10, Pope Benedict XVI said: “In
modern life, so often noisy and dispersive, it is more than ever important
to recover the capacity for inner silence and prayer.”
After the passage of so many centuries, the truth remains. Silence
is golden.
Contact Susan Brinkmann at fiat723@aol.com or (215) 965-4615.