Thursday, September 26, 2019

Silence


Silence may be considered from various points of view: as passive non-speaking, as an interior disposition of recollection, as a combat against our inner thoughts. The emphasis in our Constitutions is on silence as restraint in speech, which often proves to be the better part of communication and an effective means towards more truthful and humble living. 

Silence can also be a powerful and indispensable act of self-relinquishment, of letting go of myself, which opens me to God and to others. Concretely, the practice of interior silence means that I let go of the tapes that play in my head; the narratives, movies and fantasies that preoccupy my mind. Silencing the inner racket is a great discipline of letting go of what ties me up and distracts me from what I really love and believe in. In the final analysis whether we really maintain silence is not proven by the fewness of our words but by our ability to let go of ourselves.  It makes possible a new openness to God and to others.

Reflection by Father Dominic.