Sacred Silence

Silence is painful. It can be torturous. At times, we can’t even comprehend how to be silent. This society allows us to reach almost any piece of information we wish in a matter of seconds, and be connected to friends and family at all times. Silence, and pulling away from it all for solitude, is not considered a virtue in this world.

We avoid silence as we reach out for our phone, our tablet, or anything that will enable us to not feel alone. When we sit in silence, we complain because we can’t hear God. We fidget like a toddler who can’t understand what the need for stillness is.

Silence is like the tree that waits for rain…And waits some more. The tree is parched. And finally, when the tree doesn’t think it can wait any longer, the rain comes. After all the waiting, all the dryness, the tree is readily receptive. It accepts the rain which nourishes it and enables it to grow. It lets the rain penetrate its roots, which then nourish every inch, from its trunks to its branches and leaves.

Just like the tree, silence, or lack of “rain,” makes us thirst. After a period of silence, always longer than we’d anticipated, our “rain” comes. As the tree allows the rain to soak into its roots, God’s word, and God’s life, soak into the roots of us. Our desolation, our waiting and longing for God will give us greater life than if we had not been desolate. The Holy Spirit speaks when we are silent, when we leave room for the echoing silence. Though the voice of the Lord in our lives may not be audible, the Holy Spirit is prompting us each and every day. Are we quieting down and listening?

In the desert of your desolation, find consolation in the emptiness. Because without emptiness, we are unable to receive. Emptiness allows us to be filled. In barrenness, expect good things.  Silent moments with a loved one bring even greater closeness. Cuddling with your spouse or your child is a tender moment.

There are times when love needs no words. Silence, especially in front of the Blessed Sacrament, allows us to bask in God’s love and comfort. Silence can be scary. It can even seem unmanageable in this world constantly hooked up to Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Yet it is necessary if we are to cultivate an active spiritual life, one that is constantly seeking God.

The Church has entered a season of sacred silence, of waiting. The lights are dimmed as we sit in darkness. Then, each week, we light a candle, until the Advent wreath is full of light and the church becomes bright once again. Advent is a time of silence, of expectation. Mary waited expectantly for the birth of her Son and the world waited for a Savior. Wait. The silence, the waiting in darkness, will not be in vain. Light will break through once again, as it did at the birth of our Savior a few milleniums ago. Be silent, and let yourself be filled by the Spirit, which echoes throughout all eternity.