In order to listen to God's silence we must escape the din of distractions that normally deafen us to it

In order to listen to God's silence we must escape the din of distractions that normally deafen us to it. Being deafened to the silence within as well as the silence without is corrosive to God-hearing. To be silent is to so empty oneself of the din of transitory distractions that one becomes fully receptive to the silence that always and everywhere underlies them. Silence is that state of spiritual sensitivity in which seekers make themselves available to the silence of God's voice.

Becoming attentive to the silence before, beneath, and between our words

One way of moving beyond words in meditative journaling is by becoming attentive to the silence before, beneath, and between our words, both as we write and as we read back to ourselves what we have written. This allows us to become more attentive to the silence into which our silence sometimes leads us. Where we feel our writing taking us into the Silence, we simply go there and allow ourselves to be in the Silence, "letting the words flow to silence... "As we become aware of something stirring in the silence, we record it, "letting the silence speak to the word..."

November 2005 (Vol. XVIII, No. 10)

"Is there enough Silence for the Word to be heard?"

Blessings in and of the Silence, dear friends!

In silence and solitude you will come to meet the Beloved of your heart. For Silence is power, the power of the Divine Lover blesswing and, in the depths, transformin gyou. Seek always the Eternal Flame ever shining in your heart. And let yourself be nourished and refreshed in the Silence.

Silence is a work in progress

We are all joined in the holiness of the mind that God created. I therefore never consider myself alone in the silence. I'm 90 and live alone in a four room house surrounded by open space. I have no T and have always luxuriated in silence. The exterior silence is here. The i8nterior silence is a work in progress.

~ from Hazel, a Friend of Silence
Hazel silence

Let us not speak of silence

Friends,
the wise tell us that God abides in silence --
that God speaks in the silent serenity of the heart.
Let us not speak of silence; rather,
let silence speak to us of God.

Together, let us enter through the door of serenity,
the silence of our heart: a heart that is free,
peaceful, quiet and calm, a heart that is one ...
a heart so large and wide it embraces God
of all and the all of God,
the God who in silence speaks all languages,
the God who in silence speaks in all creatures,
the God who in silence speaks one word:
the God who speaks of Love.

~ by John Hammond, thanks to Beth Parfitt
John Hammond silence

Begin each day anchored in stillness

Begin each day anchored in stillness, taking nothing for granted, open to whatever the coming day's gift may be. Listen to the silence for ten minutes or so and realize how filled it is, filled with the breath of God! Su8ch silence wants to draw from you a quiet prayer that leans on that presence and seeks to harken to it throughout the day.

~ from RISE UP WITH A LISTENING HEART by the Monks of New Skete
Monks of New Skete Rise Up With A Listening Heart silence Buy on Amazon

Silence is the indispensable climate for all revelation

Silence is the indispensable climate for all revelation;
noise renders it absolutely impossible.

~ Anonymous
Anonymous silence

In the vessel of silence inner transformation can occur

For sheer adventure, exploring the inner space of the human spirit has to equal the exploration of outer space. Inner space holds a realm of existence not readily apparent when we are in the grip of the strident external world. A powerful launching vehicle for the discovery of the realm within is silence. It is in the vessel of silence that inner transformation can occur.

~ from SITTING STILL by Patricia Hart Clifford
Patricia Hart Clifford Sitting Still silence

Those who practice a watch of silence each day

Those who practice a watch of silence each day find their devotion takes them into ever-deepening realizations of God's immediate presence.

Silent watch periods are momentous opportunities that call for alert, expectant, and reverent participation. They are a foundation for prayer and an altar of awareness in the temple of reception.

They constitute the practice of our realization of God's immediate presence. The high moment of silence is that of consciously realizing God's envelopment.

~ from THIS DAY IS FORTIFIED by Flower A. Newhouse
Flower A. Newhouse This Day Is Fortified silence

Wallowing in the quiet

I sat in the cafeteria alone wallowing in the quiet. I didn't realize how much I missed being silently alone. This place is full of noise. Hard noises and constant noises. Prison is full of people, angry people and people afraid, but always people crowded in rooms and herded like cattle from place to place. I sat down in the cafeteria and closed my eyes and felt God in the silence. I stayed there until they made me leave.

~ by Frank Turner Hollon
Frank Turner Hollon silence

When we are wrapped in silence most profound

Let candles burn, both warm and bright,
Which to our darkness Thou has brought,
When we are wrapped in silence most profound,
May we hear that song most fully raised
From all the Unseen World that lies around
And Thou art by all Thy children praised.

Night and morning, You are by us faithfully
And surely at each newborn day.

~ by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer silence

In a spell of utter silence, there am I

Beside a river, in a spell
Of utter silence, there am I.
Alone I sit within a cell:
The midnight hours are passing by ...
I gaze into the distance, staying
Focused on night's formlessness;
The heart is begging to be praying --
In holy calm, how effortless!
All problems seem so far from me;
The world seem foreign and unreal.
Up in the heavens, You I see;
Within my heart, deep peace I feel.

~ from "In the Midnight Hour" by A. Thaisia
A. Thaisia In The Midnight Hour silence

Silence is listening to love's speech

Listen to Love's speech in God's wondrous,
terrible, gentle, loving, all-embracing
SILENCE.

~ from Catherine de Hueck Doherty
Catherine de Hueck Doherty silence

I would not speak out of fear of silence

With my rent miraculously taken care of, my life went deeply inward. I hardly spoke for over a year. Many visitors came, sat in silence, and left. Sometimes I spoke, but mostly I did not. The unwritten rule seemed to be that I would not speak out of discomfort or fear of silence. I would speak only when I felt that somehow a compassionate word might help someone I was with. Fasting, silence, and reading defined my life for several years... I didn't know if I was giving myself to foolishness or saintliness.

~ from THE INSPIRED HEART by Jerry Wennstrom
Jerry Wennstrom The Inspired Heart silence Buy on Amazon

Silence is the cornerstone of character

What are the fruits of silence?
They are self-control, truth, courage or endurance,
patience, dignity, and reverence.
Silence is the cornerstone of character.

~ by Ohiyesa, Santee Sioux thanks to June Sweeney
Ohiyesa silence

Intimate silences filled with comfort

We are often bombarded by so many extraneous stimuli that it is difficult to pray, much less remain attentive in the silence. I can't help but wonder how many times God has called my name and has caught me in my distraction. Perhaps the sum and substance of our conversations with God are being able to talk together as we would with our closest friend. In any good conversation, there are moments of silence -- intimate silences filled with the comfort of the presence of the other.

~ sent in with thanks to L. H. Doar
L. H. Doar silence

Elected silence

Elected silence,
sing to me.

~ by G. M. Hopkins
G. M. Hopkins silence

Children grow tall in silence

Like trees, children grow tall in silence.

~ Anonymous
Anonymous silence

Be silent about great things

Be silent about great things;
Let them grow inside you.

~ by Baron Freidrich von Hugel
Baron Freidrich von Hugel silence

What then is silence?

"In my family there was much speaking and much silence. The speaking of words flowed from the speaking of our silences."

"What then is silence?"

"It is being. Spoken language and silence are keys."

"Keys to what?"

"To communion."

"What do you mean by communion?"

"At-oneness. each individual IS a word. As you are a word to me. As we are all words for one another."

~ from SOPHIA HOUSE by Michael O’Brien
Michael O'Brien Sophia House silence

Silence is a work in progress

We are all joined in the holiness of the mind that God created. I therefore never consider myself alone in the silence. I'm 90 and live alone in a four room house surrounded by open space. I have no T and have always luxuriated in silence. The exterior silence is here. The i8nterior silence is a work in progress.

Let us not speak of silence

Friends,
the wise tell us that God abides in silence --
that God speaks in the silent serenity of the heart.
Let us not speak of silence; rather,
let silence speak to us of God.

Together, let us enter through the door of serenity,
the silence of our heart: a heart that is free,
peaceful, quiet and calm, a heart that is one ...
a heart so large and wide it embraces God
of all and the all of God,
the God who in silence speaks all languages,
the God who in silence speaks in all creatures,
the God who in silence speaks one word:
the God who speaks of Love.

Begin each day anchored in stillness

Begin each day anchored in stillness, taking nothing for granted, open to whatever the coming day's gift may be. Listen to the silence for ten minutes or so and realize how filled it is, filled with the breath of God! Su8ch silence wants to draw from you a quiet prayer that leans on that presence and seeks to harken to it throughout the day.

In the vessel of silence inner transformation can occur

For sheer adventure, exploring the inner space of the human spirit has to equal the exploration of outer space. Inner space holds a realm of existence not readily apparent when we are in the grip of the strident external world. A powerful launching vehicle for the discovery of the realm within is silence. It is in the vessel of silence that inner transformation can occur.

Pages