Silence

[Written for my parish bulletin]

In June I took three days and spent them in silence. It was less than normal for me since in seminary we would take five days of silence at the start of each year. It can be difficult to remain silent for a long period of time, but it is certainly not impossible.

With busy lives and so much running around, everyone needs some quiet time to decompress and relax. It has great psychological benefits, but it can also be a time for spiritual renewal. Scripture tells us how Jesus would leave often to a silent place, away from the city into the hillside of Galilee. Our Savior needed quiet time, so do we.

God manifests himself to us in silence. When our minds are calm and clear, things begin to emerge from the depths of our being. Silence allows God to speak to us clearly. We have to move away from our talkative society which constantly bombards us with sound and create an atmosphere conducive to prayer.

I went to a Jesuit retreat house in Atlanta, but that may be more difficult to coordinate for many since it involves being away. Perhaps a quiet afternoon or evening is easier to achieve. It could be at home or at a park, at the Church or walking some trails through the woods. We don’t have to go on a retreat to find silence; we can make time for silence in our ordinary routine.

There is great wisdom in this quote by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, “We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.”