For Those Aspiring for True Sanctity

"...We must keep silence when it is not absolutely necessary to speak."

- Father Jean-Nicolas Grou - The Spiritual Life

St. Faustina on Silence

SILENCE IS INDISPENSABLE FOR PRAYER

...the Pope explained that the first of these aspects "concerns accepting the Word of God. Interior and exterior silence are necessary in order to hear that Word", he said. Yet, "our age does not, in fact, favour reflection and contemplation; quite the contrary it seems that people are afraid to detach themselves, even for an instant, from the spate of words and images which mark and fill our days"...

You can read the entire article here at VIS.

St. James - Bridling of the Tongue

The Beheading of St. James by Fra Filippo Lippi

Picture source

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue 14 but deceives his heart, his religion is vain.

St. James 1:26.

In honor of the Feast of St. James, I will:

- Not speak unless necessary.

- Not give my opinion unless asked.

- Listen more intently to the person speaking to me.

- Avoid negative words, harmful, critical, hurtful words escaping from my lips.

- Literally bite my tongue if tempted to speak without first pausing and thinking about I am about to say.

- Pray to the Holy Spirit and our Blessed Mother for strength in  taming my tongue.

- I knew I forgot one more thing.  I will not complain especially about little things.

In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions. Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze.

The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by Gehenna.

For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species,

but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who are made in the likeness of God.

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This need not be so, my brothers.

James 3:6-10

There is a good article that someone shared on Twitter that should be read. Three Tips for Taming the Tongue.

"For the Love of God, Shut Up!"

Very good article by Pat Archbold at the National Catholic Register blog today here.

It reminded me of what happened after morning Mass the other day. A group of people stayed at the Church door chatting loudly while a few us sat in our pews praying. One lady couldn't take it anymore. She turned around and told them very angrily and loudly to shut up. Of course, she did not say "shut up". I'm pretty sure she said "be quiet" but I'm not sure it mattered. Nor am I sure which was worse, the inconsiderate people in the back or the angry woman in church.

Practicing Silence

Picture source

There is also a time for silence, not only exterior silence, but above all interior silence, so that I may reconnect with God and fully hear and receive His Word in me.

As Mother Teresa of Calcutta speaks about this sacred silence, may her words find a home in my heart:
To make possible true interior silence, we shall practice:

Silence of the eyes, by seeking always the beauty and goodness of God everywhere closing it to the faults of others and to all that is sinful and disturbing to the soul.

Silence of the ears, by listening always to the voice of God and to the cry of the poor and the needy, closing it to all the other voices that come from the evil one or from fallen human nature:
e.g. gossip, tale-bearing, and uncharitable words.

Silence of the tongue, by praising God and speaking the life-giving Word of God that is the Truth that enlightens and inspires, brings peace, hope, and joy and by refraining from self-defense and
every word that causes darkness, turmoil, pain, and death.

Silence of the mind, by opening it to the truth and knowledge of God in prayer and contemplation, like Mary who pondered the marvels of the Lord in her heart, and by closing it to all untruths, distractions, destructive thoughts, rash judgment, false suspicions of others, revengeful thoughts, and desires.

Silence of the heart, by loving God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength and one another as God loves, desiring God alone and avoiding all selfishness, hatred, envy, jealousy, and greed. Our silence is a joyful and God-centered silence; it demands of us constant self-denial and plunges us into the deep silence of God where aloneness with God becomes a reality.

To foster and maintain a prayerful atmosphere of exterior silence we shall:

* respect certain times and places of more strict silence,
* move about and work prayerfully, quietly and gently,
* avoid at all costs all unnecessary speaking and notice,
* speak, when we have to, softly, gently, saying just what is necessary,
* look forward to profound silence as a holy and precious time, a withdrawal into the living silence of God.”

Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Under the Light and Guidance of the Holy Spirit, let us walk with Jesus, into the embrace of the Father.

Source via Sue Cifelli

Preciousness of Silence

PRECIOUSNESS OF SILENCE

"Lord, set a guard over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips." Ps 141:3 "But Jesus was silent." Mt 26:63

The Silence is Meekness. When you do not defend yourself against offenses; When you do not claim your rights; When you let God defend you; The Silence is Meekness.

The Silence is Mercy. When you do not reveal the faults of your brothers to others; When you readily forgive without inquiring into the past; When you do not judge, but pray in your heart; The Silence is Mercy.

The Silence is Patience. When you accept suffering not with grumbling but joyfully; When you do not look for human consolations; When you do not become too anxious, but wait in patience for the seed to germinate; The Silence is Patience.

The Silence is Humility. When there is no competition; When you consider the other person to be better than yourself; When you let your brothers emerge, grow and mature; When you joyfully abandon all to the Lord; When your actions may be misinterpreted; When you leave to others the glory of the enterprise; The Silence is Humility.

The Silence is Faith. When you keep quiet because you know that the Lord will act; When you renounce the voice of the world to remain in the presence of the Lord; When you do not labour yourself to be understood; because it is enough for you to know that the Lord understands you; The Silence is Faith.

The Silence is Adoration. When you embrace the cross without asking "Why?"; The Silence is Adoration.

"But Jesus was silent."

From the Missionaries of Charity Prayer Book

Shared by Sue via email.

Jesus and Silence

by Father Rawley Myers

Our noisy, rush-around world badly needs silence. We need to kneel silently before the silent Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

When Jesus was born there was a hush of silence all around. And then there was heard the quiet cooing of a little Baby. And the angel said, "Peace on earth to those who are of good will."

In our busy, busy society we need peace of soul - the peace of that first Christmas night.

The first thirty years of the life of Jesus are wrapped in silence. Silence is more profound than words, especially idle chatter.

During His fake trial, Jesus stood silent. As the prophet said, "Like a sheep led away to the slaughterhouse, a lamb that stands dumb while it is shorn, no word from him."

In the Eucharist Jesus remains with us in silence. The noise, confusion, and endless running around in our society are pulling many people apart.

We need silence so that we can pray. The grain in the fieldl grows in silence.

Why did Jesus live in silence most of His life? In order to pray, Jesus now awaits us to come to Him in church where He remains with us in the tabernacle. Jesus our Lord and Savior remains with us in silence, so we can visit Him and receive His blessing.

From Hearts Aflame Catholic Youth Magazine
Jubilee 2000: No. 4

Silence is Golden

I also visited St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Exchange Blog today and found another interesting entry. This one dealt with the topic of silence.



The following is an excerpt:

"But, in the midst of the novel, there is solid spiritual advice good for all of us today. It's obvious that Gironella is Catholic. Here is the advice in the confessional that one of the priests in the novel gives the young man, a bank clerk, who is one of the main characters in the book:

I would advise you to do one thing that may seem to you irrelevant: a silence cure. Try it, and tell me how it works out. Manage to go a few days, a couple of weeks, talking as little as possible. Work silently at the bank, study in silence, and economize on words as much as possible. You will see the effects. Almost immediately you will feel a greater serenity. You will find that you pay attention and see things much more clearly. Words distract a great deal, you can't imagine. You come across men who, to hear them talk, you would say were enemies. And basically they are in agreement without knowing it. Others, on the contrary, talk, thinking that they understand one another, and basically, they continue poles apart.

Above all, remember this that I tell you: pay attention. Give your full attention to everything you do, everything you hear. You will discover new worlds. . . . There is no thing or person that cannot teach you something. The same thing is happening to you now that happens to most people: they don't fix their attention. We move like automatons. That is a mistake. There must be reflection. When you hear some new theory, don't say: False! Think that there are thousands who have thought about it before you. But, at the same time, don't say: the Gospel! There is only one gospel: love God and your neighbor.

If you pay attention--and don't think that all these theories are mine--they are St. Augustine's--you will without fail discover something very important: harmony. You will realize that there is harmony in everything, that everything forms part of a harmonious whole. Those very events that at first sight seem startling, you will come to understand as logical, as contributing to something harmonious and great. You will find harmony in the smallest details. This will assist you in no end in ordering your daily life. Your spirit will feel itself strengthened by forming part of that harmonious whole."

Gironella, pp. 415-16 (emphasis added).