"Be Still and Know I Am God

 Psalms 46: "Be still and know that I am God."

His words lead us to the calmness and greatness of his presence. This is the greatest reason to seek silence for it is in the silence we can hear his voice and remember it in our souls.

On Silence - From the Rule of St. Benedict

In chapter 6, “The Spirit of Silence” we find the following:


“Therefore, since the spirit of silence is so important, permission to speak should rarely be granted even to perfect disciples”
I struggle to understand the balance between communication and silence as portrayed in the Rule. I have little experience with living in a community where silence is the norm. Over the past months I have tried to spend more time in silence and I find that I am enriched by the experience. Still, laughter, if it is not founded in rude or objectionable behavior brightens the soul and the mind. I find that I am much more productive after sharing laughter or some light conversation with others. On the other hand, communication that does not involve noise provides for an encounter that occurs at a much deeper level. I am thinking, in particular, of the sacred dance I get to watch or participate in during the daily Mass. The Eucharistic Ministers seem to move in unison and words could never capture the depth of what is communicated between us with just a glance.

Beyond the wish of peace and the words of consecration, we don’t need to speak to touch each other’s souls. What we say with our eyes reflects a shared devotion to the celebration of the Eucharist and the shared joy of our common ministry. To serve before the table of the Lord is to know communication made perfect.

Anam Cara

I have started to read a work called Anam Cara, a work on Celtic wisdom and spirituality written by John O’Donohue. The title translates as "soul friend" from Gaelic and so suggests the importance of connections that are more complex and intertwined than the usual “hello, how are you.” I had not even read a full page when I found myself deeply hooked. His gift of language captivated immediately. Let me share a few words from the first paragraph of the prologue.

“The mystery never leaves you alone. Behind your image, below your words, above your thoughts, the silence of another world waits. A world lives within you. No one else can bring news of the inner world. Through the opening of the mouth, we bring out sounds from the mountains beneath the soul. These sounds are words. The world is full of words.”

Of course I am about as Irish as Big Ben and the Thames River but there must be something Celtic in my background because I surely relate to Celtic spirituality.

Thought for the day 1.20.11

The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord,
which is formed with the faithful in the womb.

This quote comes from the first reading from the Book of Sirach in the first reading yesterday. Again I am reminded of how important it is that we remain in fear of the Lord. What is wisdom? I am inclined to think of it as being the knowledge that we are created to love and serve the Lord because in so doing we will find true happiness.

Understanding Fear of the Lord

In Chapter 7 of the Rule of St. Benedict we are taught that the first step of humility is the fear of God.

Do we understand what is meant when it is said we are to fear of God? Clearly we are not talking about fear of snakes or things that go bump in the night fear. I was taught at very early age is to replace the word “fear” with “reverence.” I have also hear it said that the fear we are talking about is more like a fear of disappointing someone you love rather than being afraid of harm. Either way fear of God is really how we begin to show God our love for him. From there all of the other blessing of a relationship can flow out and into us carried by the Holy Spirit.

On Loving

From the Detailed Rules for Monks by Saint Basil the Great, bishop, comes the following thought:


As soon as the living creature (that is, man) comes to be, a power of reason is implanted in us like a seed, containing within it the ability and the need to love.

I firmly believe this to be true. All humans are gifted with the ability to love. How we use the gift is left to us as a matter of free choice. What we not given is knowledge of how to be able to love. While God inspires our desire to love we are left to teach other how to love and because we are imperfect humans what we teach is not imperfect. All we can do is grow in love and in our understanding of the examples we see of perfect love that was made perfect because it is absolutely selfless.