Silence is counted among the
principal monastic values of the Order. It assures solitude for the monk in
community. It fosters mindfulness of God and fraternal communion. It opens the
mind to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and favours attentiveness of heart
and solitary prayer to God. Therefore, at all times but especially during the
hours of night, the brothers are to be zealous for silence, which is the
guardian both of speech and of thought.
We long for the power of Christ's quiet over our chaos and inner babble. Not a dull, sluggish quiet, but a quiet for listening, a quiet that even within the walls of this monastery allows us to hear the cry of the poor. A very delicate quiet for waiting and listening, for he himself is our quiet,our rest and safe haven.
Opening lines from The Constitutions of the Order
