Silence Is Golden

When I was at seminary, we were held to a very strict schedule every day.  We always knew where we should be and what we should be doing, whether it was class, private study, prayer, meals, chores or recreation.  After dinner every evening, we had such a period of recreation, where we were free to talk, go for walks, play cards, or listen to music (classical only!).  This freetime was ended by the ringing of a bell.  It didn’t matter what you were doing when that bell rang, whether you were enthralled in the middle of some fascinating theological discussion or maybe just about to deliver the punch line of a joke, the bell rang and you just stopped.  If you were walking, you immediately changed direction and headed to the chapel for Compline, the night office of the Church.  Finally, as the last notes of Compline floated away into the night air, there began a specific period of time which we knew as the “Grand Silence”.  As the name suggests, during Grand Silence we were forbidden to talk, even in whispers, communicate with anyone, or make any unnecessary noise for any reason.

The Grand Silence was strictly adhered to, and no one would think of even giving a nod of recognition to someone as we passed them in the hallways.  Breaking Grand Silence was unthinkable—we quickly became accustomed to the lack of sound, and the ensuing peace was treasured by all as a thing of great value and beauty.  Silence used to be a common practice in all religious houses, and is recognized as an essential factor in the pursuit of spiritual peace and perfection.  “Be still,” said God to the prophet Elias.  “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Regrettably, the value of silence has been neglected in today’s modern technological world, where some people can’t even go to sleep at night without the TV on.  More than ever before, we live in a world that seems to be constantly screaming at us, with an array of agendas vying for our attention.  Buy this product, watch this show, don’t eat this food, drop everything you’re doing and listen to me!  How can we possibly find peace in such a world?  The monastic life may not be for everyone, but it can teach even the most mundane of us by its emphasis on just being quiet now and again.  It’s a very simple habit we can all practice, regularly clearing our mind of distraction, so that we may listen more attentively to the voice of God.  It doesn’t necessarily mean praying.  Trappist monks, for example, are committed to silence as a monastic value which assures solitude in community. They understand that it fosters mindfulness of God and fraternal communion, opening the mind to the inspirations of the Holy Ghost and favoring attentiveness of the heart and solitary prayer to God.  Be silent, in other words, and we’ll naturally be drawn to prayer.  And even if we’re not, we’ll be more open to the presence of God in our lives, more aware of the need to lead a good life, and more capable of doing so.

So many sins are committed by the wrongful use of our tongue.  Sometimes we might shout and scream in anger, we take the Name of God in vain.  Other times we tell lies or repeat harmful gossip about our neighbor.  We whisper evil suggestions, drawing others to sin with us.  We show disrespect to our parents and superiors, maybe answering them back to their face, other times complaining about them behind their backs.  We moan and whine about the crosses God asks us to bear.  There seems to be no limit on the damage we do to ourselves and others by our unbridled tongue, and so it is extremely useful sometimes to actually put a bridle on them and deliberately keep our mouths shut and listen once in a while to the sound of silence.  Take the words of Psalm 38 to heart: “I will take heed to my ways, that I offend not in my tongue.  I will keep my mouth as it were with a bridle, while the ungodly is in my sight.  I held my tongue, and spake nothing: I kept silence, yea, even from good words.”

And with that in mind, it would seem ironic for me to say anything else…