CHOICE OF SILENCE

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) Trappist monk and author wrote:
“Silence has many dimensions. It can be a regression and an escape, a loss of self, or it can be presence, awareness, unification, self-discovery. Negative silence blurs and confuses our identity, and we lapse into daydreams or diffuse anxieties. Positive silence pulls us together and makes us realize who we are, who we might be, and the distance between the two. Hence, positive silence implies a choice, and what Paul Tillich called the “courage to be.” (From ‘’Love and Living’)

Silence is like so many other disciplines in our spiritual growth: it is a choice. If I force myself into silence, there is rarely a good outcome. Learning to choose ‘the better way’ is what gives love and grace a chance. Desire for a silent time is a developed habit.

To run away and hide in silence is often just depression or self-pity. The need to ‘get away’ could be a sabotage to cover bad decisions and choices. Positive silence is the expectation of listening and hearing from the Father of light and life. I find that silence often leads to repentance…to turn and go the other way… the Kingdom way.

“For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.”
Jesus