By Leon Bent –
The thing we fear most about silence is being alone with our thoughts. When confronted with true quiet, we begin to hear and sense the mad, chaotic and unmanageable rush of thoughts filling our minds. The anxieties, the deep longings, the painful questions, all seem to come bubbling to the surface of our consciousness—they makes us uncomfortable.
We fear this confrontation with our innermost selves and the struggle with the complexity of our heart. So, our natural tendency is to drown out silence with constant noise. In the car alone, we turn on the radio. At home, TVs run constantly, not so that we can watch them, but for a comforting “background noise.” A spare moment is filled with compulsive checking of our smart phones. Anything but silence!
Silence and the Saints
Yet, despite the disquieting nature of silence, countless saints have counselled it as a necessary and indispensable practice for growing in true holiness.
“In silence and quiet the devout soul advances in virtue and learns the hidden truths of Scripture,” says Thomas a Kempis. “Guard against much talking,” advises St. Dorotheus of Gaza, “for it puts to flight devout thoughts and recollection in God.” St. Maximilian Kolbe declares that, “Silence is necessary, even absolutely necessary. If silence is lacking, then grace is lacking.” Many more examples could be given.
Through the centuries, many religious orders have put this advice into practice, with not a few prescribing silence in varying degrees in their rules. Perhaps the most famous and strict of these Orders are the Carthusians. Their disciplined quiet is so well known that a documentary film about
It is entitled, “Into Great Silence.”
Silence is a Sure Means to Holiness
Without question, all the great saints, mystics, and spiritual masters prescribe silence as a sure means to holiness. Why? What’s so special about silence?
It is important to understand that silence, like all the tools of the spiritual life, is not an end in itself. It is a means—a method for coming to know Jesus Christ. Silence is necessary because our intellects are wounded and fractured by the Fall of man. Communion with God our Creator once came naturally and easily, much like seeing or hearing does now. We were constantly aware of His presence. But now, sin has disrupted this communion and damaged our ability to know God at the deepest level of our being.
Our fractured intellect, once perfectly in control, is now a relentless storm of thoughts, feelings and emotions—like a restless cloud of gnats on a hot summer night. Calming this spiritual and emotional storm is incredibly difficult, and the only way to achieve it is to face it head on. We can only do this when we are quiet enough to hear just how utterly distracted our souls really are. Indeed, it can be frightening, and we’d rather not do it—but doing so is absolutely essential for spiritual progress.
Moreover, silence is necessary to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit and to receive and preserve grace. God does not shout. He speaks quietly and softly, in a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-12). The promptings of the Holy Spirit are never heard in busyness and anxious activity, but rather in stillness and quietness of heart.
Silence also helps us to preserve the grace God sends to us. Scuba divers are careful and slow with their movements, so as not to unnecessarily waste their precious reserves of oxygen. Likewise, holy souls speak little and prudently preserve their reservoir of grace.
How to Practice Silence
Now, you may be wondering how it would be possible for a layman with a job, and perhaps, a family, to practice the virtue of silence. Married people would not appreciate if their spouse began gesturing with monastic hand signals rather than speaking! But while the practice of silence for a lay person might look different than for a monastic, it is still possible and even advisable. Here are some practical suggestions.
The first way to practice silence is to refrain from frivolous speech, realizing that, “when words are many, transgression is not lacking” (Proverbs 10:19). That is, don’t speak without an authentic need to do so. Social media especially encourages wasted speech. Just log into Facebook and you will see people complaining about hangnails, discussing their digestive problems, or posting cryptic statements that beg for attention (“I really wonder if it’s worth it anymore,” and the like). If you’re tempted to engage in this kind of speech, don’t. Speak only when you have something worthwhile to say.
Second, silence can be practiced by restraining our tongues when we desire to complain. Complaining is the opposite of gratitude and thanksgiving, and it is actually a sin. It is so easy to complain about a meal, a rude person, or the weather. But does this contribute to anyone’s well being? Hold your tongue unless you have something praiseworthy to say.
Third, we can practice silence by refraining from sharing our opinion on every topic imaginable. Whenever a crisis emerges on the national or world stage, it seems that everyone, everywhere immediately declares their infallible opinion on the matter. But the truth is, many of us don’t understand these events very well at all, and the world is not in need of cluttered opinions. Keep your views to yourself and you will be considered the wiser for it.
Fourth, we can resist the urge to fill every spare moment with noise. If you are driving, try leaving the radio or music off. If you are home, refrain from putting the TV on. Avoid mindlessly checking your phone while in line or in spare moments. Life is full of precious brief spells when we can be silent. Embrace them.
Finally, we can keep silence when we desire to criticize others. How easy it is to notice the faults of others! And it is even easier and pleasurable to gossip about these faults, true or not, to others; tearing people and harming their reputation, is done only to make us feel better. To keep silence when we feel the urge to criticize is difficult, but it is also life-giving.
Conclusion
Entering the prayerful silence of Christian spirituality, is like being lifted to a peak, to gaze on vast horizons of life, otherwise inaccessible to created reason. This is the complete opposite of mindlessness in prayer. Yet, this conscious awareness leaves the soul in speechless adoration, humbled before the glory of divine life that shines forth in the world. The more this glory touches us in this sacred silence, the more it generates in and through us.
This can happen again today for those willing to take up the discipline, of withdrawing into silent adoration through what we study. Being drawn to wonder-filled silence is the beginning of spiritual maturity.
According to experts on prayerful silence, the Word of God proceeds from Silence! We strive to find Him in His Source. This is because the Silence here, in question, is not a void or a negation but, on the contrary, ‘Being’ at its fullest and most fruitful plenitude. That is why it produces fruit; and that is why we keep silent.
This statement is pregnant with spiritual theology, at least in its original sense as theology flowing from a living encounter with God. While some thinkers believe that progress has been made in bringing sanctity and theology together again, contemporary theology yearns to be filled with such mystical knowing. This is why theologians should be men and women of prayer.
Saint Teresa of Ávila describes mystical knowing as a gaze into the eyes of the One who was wounded for our sake. It is a loving awareness of God’s presence. She uses images of water, fire, and silk to convey the new life, love, and richness it establishes within.
Even after two thousand years of great saints, theologians, and mystics, theological contemplation remains a vast, barely known frontier of human existence, for most of the inexhaustible treasures of Christ are still waiting to be discovered.
The world needs Catholics to grow in this kind of contemplation. Silence is God’s first language; everything else is a poor translation. In order to hear that language, we must learn to be still and to rest in God (Thomas Keating).
Leon Bent is an ex-Seminarian and studied the Liberal Arts and Humanities, and Philosophy, from St. Pius X College, Mumbai. He holds Masters Degree in English Literature and Aesthetics. He has published three Books and have 20 on the anvil. He has two extensively “Researched” Volumes to his name: Hail Full of Grace and Matrimony: The Thousand Faces of Love. He won The Examiner, Silver Pen Award, 2000 for writing on Social Issues, the clincher being a Researched Article on Gypsies in India, published in an issue of the (worldwide circulation) Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, New Delhi. On April, 28, 2018, Leon received the Cardinal Ivan Dias Award for a research paper in Mariology.