SILENCE AND THE WORD OF GOD

"If only all might be hushed, sense impressions, the soul itself,
all imagery, all symbols, all things transient, then we might
hear the very voice of the eternal, and if that experience were prolonged, we would indeed enter into the joy of our Lord."

Augustine

Every year the Pope in his Message for World Communications Day offers a reflection on an aspect of communication. This year he turns his attention to the importance of silence or, more precisely, the relationship between silence and word. read more...

He notes that there can be no meaningful communication without silence. Silence speaks – at times our silence can be the most eloquent expression of our closeness to, our solidarity with and our attentiveness towards another person. Our silence can express respect and love – in silence, we listen and give priority to another.

Pope Benedict recalls that the God of biblical revelation communicates also in the mystery of his silence. This is manifested especially in the mystery of the Cross of Christ: ‘The eloquence of God’s love speaks in the silence of the Cross’. He insists that just as God can express himself to us in his silence, we in turn discover in silence the possibility of speaking with God and about God. He encourages us to allow our silence to mature into contemplation. Words and concepts can never grasp the essence of God. Space must be made for silent contemplation. ‘Silence can carve out an inner space in our very depths to enable God to dwell there, so that his word will remain within us and love for him take root in our minds and hearts and inspire our life’ (Audience, 7th March 2012).

“There is a kind of silence which is a primordial element, which sustains the word and gives it room to move, as a swan glides over water. This motionless lake is the first inner requirement for a genuine listening to the word. And after listening one must let the circles of the word spread, fade away, expire in the silence. The word has its origin and its term in silence.’
- Jean Guitton, French lay observer at the Second Vatican Council
If we take as our guide the oldest prayer book, the biblical Psalms, we note two main forms of prayer. One is a lament and cry for help. The other is thanksgiving and praise to God. On a more hidden level, there is a third kind of prayer, without demands or explicit expression of praise. In Psalm 131 for instance, there is nothing but quietness and confidence: "I have calmed and quieted my soul … hope in the Lord from this time on and forevermore."