Silence

St. Benedict tells us:

Let us follow the Prophet’s counsel… I have put a guard on my mouth. I was silent and was humbled, and I refrained even from good words. (Ps 38:2-3). Here the Prophet indicates that there are times when good words are to be left unsaid out of esteem for silence… Speaking and teaching are the master’s task; the disciple is to be silent and listen” (RB 6:1-2, 6).

It is easy to let the cloister of our home be filled up with either a cacophony of individual chatter (e.g. everybody talking over each other) or the silence of isolation (e.g. everybody doing their own thing in their room). What these have in common is they cut us off from each other.

The silence St. Benedict proposes is different. It is a silence that unites us because in it we place ourselves before the Presence that is the source of our lives, the One each of our hearts desires. Who is the master St. Benedict speaks of? Jesus said, “You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers” (Matt. 23:8). By practicing silence together we enter into dialogue with the mystery of God our Father.

SUGGESTIONS:

We practice silence at particular times in the monastery and invite you to join us in them.

• Keep silence before Morning Prayer and after Compline, so that the first and last words of the day we utter are to God. This is called the Grand Silence.

• During the two periods set aside for personal prayer and Lectio Divina (see Horarium). • Observe a day of silence on Good Friday, only speaking during prayers and liturgies or to communicate something essential (the retreat conference falls under the latter). • One note may be helpful as you consider what this may look like in your home (since, e.g. it may not be possible for a family to observe an entire day of silence): The attitude of silence is not just “not speaking,” but also speaking what is important. For instance, it may be necessary to say a few words to the person you are working with. But these are kept essential and come from the same posture of listening and attentiveness which is the spirit of silence.

• Practice a spirit of silence on Holy Saturday, the day of Christ’s immense silence on earth, when he descended to the depths of hell.

• Depending on the situation, it may not be possible to observe all of these times. If so, pick one period of time each day to do silence together.