“We need to find God and God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature — trees, flowers, grass — grow in silence; see the stars, the moon, the sun, how they move in silence. The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life. We need silence to be able to touch souls. The essential thing is not what we say, but what God says to us and through us. All our words will be useless unless they come from within — words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness.” - Mother TeresaThe sound of waves softly breaking against the shore, the mournful call of the gulls, and even the unmistakable scent of the sea – all of these are things that I find draw me closer to God and to the beauty of nature that comes from Him. Growing up by a bay and having the chance to go for almost daily walks on the beach has enabled me to greatly appreciate the chance for quiet and contemplation that the ocean seems to offer. In our culture, it seems almost impossible to make time for silence and lengthy personal prayer, and so one of my favourite ways to spend my frequent walks by the sea is to be accompanied by my rosary. Truly, “silence” is a word unbeknownst to most in our society, and as Catholics in this day and age, we have to always be attentive to the state of our personal prayer life. It is so easy to fall out of the habit of daily prayer, and so difficult to get back into.
I appreciate what Pope Emeritus Benedict has to say about the importance of silence: “We live in a society in which it seems that every space, every moment must be filled with initiatives, activity, sound; often there is not even time to listen and dialogue. Dear brothers and sisters! Let us not be afraid to be silent outside and inside ourselves, so that we are able not only to perceive God's voice, but also the voice of the person next to us, the voices of others...Holiness, in fact, never loses its own power of attraction, it is not forgotten, it never goes out of fashion.” Here, Pope Emeritus cannot stress enough the importance of both interior and exterior silence. Silence may be a fearful thing to the modern person. Their everyday life is filled with noise, activity, and constant action. Go into any store, and you will find music playing, music which is often spiritually destructive. Walk down the street in a city, and you will encounter endless lights, noise, cars, and other distractions. Watch the parking lot of a supermarket, where people fight for parking stalls, and rush in and out of the store, always in great hurries. The business in our materialistic world seems endless.
Learning how to have inner silence is directly associated with becoming a better listener. Listening for God's voice, while keeping an open mind, can help us grow in humility and trust in God. As Proverbs 17:24 states, “A man of understanding sets his face towards wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.” It is especially important to listen for God's voice in silence because God will provide direction and guidance when we are in need of assistance. It is difficult, if not near impossible, to hear His Will if our lives are full of constant distractions. If we are in difficulty and are suffering, and we call on the Lord in silence with an open heart, God will hear us and answer our prayers - even if it is in a way that we do not at first understand.
Silence also serves truth. The way to truth is not always through speech; not every truth is to be blurted out. We must use caution and prudence when telling others about a truth they may be blind to. When evangelizing to someone about the Faith, it is crucial to realize what sort of person we are talking to, and to understand where they are coming from in life. Rather than first speaking out and rashly stating our minds, prayer in silence will help us know what is best when being a witness to the Faith.
It is essential for us to spend time with God in silence throughout all the year, but Lent in particular is a special time for this. We detach ourselves from worldly things during this time in the liturgical year, and replace them with prayers and offerings to the Lord. Lent may seem intimidating to some - what with knowing how we are called to further detach ourselves from material things during this time, and add extra spiritual prayers or exercises to our lives. All of these things that we are to work on during Lent have the purpose of helping us grow in holiness. Our material needs and earthly attachments are just fleeting moments in time compared to what awaits us after death. In fact, they are completely insignificant in relation to time, since time does not even exist after death - at least not in a way which we can possibly comprehend.
This Lent, I encourage you to spend more time with the Lord in silence. Do your utmost to better your inner prayer life, however you can. Put aside a little time each day to be alone with your rosary, and to pour out your worries and thoughts to Our Lady, who will in turn hand them to God. Perhaps this time can be spent in Adoration, or alone in your room, or walking down by the ocean as I like to do. Don't be afraid to be alone in silence, for as Saint Bernard wisely said, “Never less alone, than when alone!”
