How to do the silence prayer. Be silent and love

“… .While silence enveloped everything

and the night was halfway through its course

Your almighty Word, O Lord,

came from Your royal throne .... " (Wisdom 18, 14-15)

Silence is the most perfect song

"Prayer has silence for father and solitude for mother," said Girolamo Savonarola.

Only silence, in fact, makes listening possible, that is, the acceptance in itself not only of the Word, but also of the presence of the One who speaks.

Thus silence opens the Christian to the experience of the indwelling of God: the God we seek by following the risen Christ in faith, is the God who is not external to us, but lives in us.

Jesus says in the Gospel of John: "... If one loves me. he will keep my word and my Father will love him and we will come to him and take up residence with him ... "(Jn. 14,23:XNUMX).

Silence is the language of love, of depth of presence of the other.

Moreover, in the love experience, silence is often much more eloquent, intense and communicative language than a word.

Unfortunately, silence is rare today, it is the thing that most modern man deafened by noise, bombarded by sound and visual messages, robbed of his interiority, almost undone by it, is the thing that is most missing.

Therefore, it is not surprising that many people turn to ways of spirituality that are foreign to Christianity.

We must confess it: we need silence!

On Mount Oreb, the prophet Elijah first heard a rushing wind, then an earthquake, then a fire, and finally "... the voice of a subtle silence .." (1 Kings 19,12:XNUMX): as he heard the latter, Elijah covered his face with his cloak and placed himself in the presence of God.

God makes himself present to Elijah in silence, an eloquent silence.

The revelation of the biblical God does not only pass through the word, but also occurs in silence.

The God who reveals himself in silence and in speech requires man to listen, and silence is essential to listening.

Of course, it is not simply a matter of refraining from speaking, but of inner silence, that dimension which gives us back to ourselves, places us on the plane of being, in front of the essential.

It is from silence that a sharp, penetrating, communicative, sensible, luminous word can arise, even, I dare say, therapeutic, capable of consoling.

Silence is the custodian of interiority.

Of course, it is a silence defined yes negatively as sobriety and discipline in speaking and even as abstention from words, but which from this first moment passes to an inner dimension: that is to silence thoughts, images, rebellions, judgments , the murmurs that arise in the heart.

In fact, it is "... from within, that is, from the human heart, that evil thoughts come out ..." (Mark 7,21:XNUMX).

It is the difficult inner silence that is played out in the heart, the place of spiritual struggle, but it is precisely this profound silence that generates charity, attention to the other, the welcome of the other.

Yes, silence delves deep into our space to make you live in the Other, to make you remain His Word, to root in us the love for the Lord; at the same time, and in connection with this, it disposes us to intelligent listening, to the measured word, and thus, the double command of the love of God and neighbor is fulfilled by those who know how to keep silence.

Basilio can say: "The silent becomes a source of grace for the listener".

At that point we can repeat, without fear of falling into rhetoric, E. Rostand's statement: "Silence is the most perfect song, the highest prayer".

As it leads to listening to God and to the love of the brother, to authentic charity, that is, to life in Christ, then silence is authentically Christian prayer and pleasing to God.

Be silent and listen

The law says:

"Listen, Israel, the Lord your God" (Deut. 6,3).

It does not say: "Speak", but "Listen".

The first word that God says is this: "Listen".

If you listen, you will protect your ways; and if you fall, you will correct yourself immediately.

How will the young man who has lost his way find his way?

By meditating on the words of the Lord.

First of all keep silent, and listen… .. (S. Ambrogio)