Today, I have finished reading Saint Benedict’s Rule.
My mind is filled with thoughts avoiding pride and self-importance, increasing time spent in lectio divina, obedience, silence, humility. All are intertwined, all are important. Obedience and humility are easily pulled out as cornerstones of good Christian living.
Silence resonates within my mind as being essential for a good relationship with God. There must be a time when we are quiet, when our minds are no longer worrying about whether our boss will like a report, whether there will be a parking spot close to the building, whether reservations are needed at some restaurant, or whether to call someone after some long forgotten disagreement.
Although they may appear important at the time when we look at them through anxiety colored spectacles, a second examination often diminishes the importance. We confuse all types of things with importance: convenience, ambition, control.
Silence as we become acquainted with it and as we allow ourselves to trust it can become a powerful ally for us. Before we act there should be meditation and prayer. Before we speak there should be reflection and prayer. Before we speak or act there should always be a moment of silence.
On stage as an actor learns his/her lines, they also learn the beats, which includes the written dialogue and the pauses and silences. Learning the beats is often essential for interpreting the character and breathing life into the written words. The beats of a scene often make a character more human, provide glimpses into motivations, and punctuate what is important to either the character or author. Watch any television show, stage play, or movie and you will see beats; you will see moments when the characters stop talking and begin thinking.
There is nothing wrong with taking a moment to reflect on what we have either heard or observed. Our silence provides an opportunity to catalogue, analyze different situations. Our silence is a good time for prayer. How much better or lives would be if we prayed more often and said rude, inappropriate, and unacceptable things less.
Silence is the first step to hear God, the first word of God when he calls our heart.
ReplyDeleteWe might say that the Rule of St. Benedict is divided into two halves — its first word (Listen - Obsculta) as the first half and all of the remaining text as the second half.