THE IMPORTANCE
OF SILENCE.
By Saint Alphonsus de Liguori.
CATHOLIC TRUTH SOCIETY of OREGON No. Pr030 (1930).
THE IMPORTANCE OF SILENCE.
By Saint Alphonsus de Liguori.
Note: The importance of Silence
cannot be stressed enough in our day of frequent distraction and noise, for God
does not speak to us in such things but in silence as ― “in a gentle
breeze is the Lord heard.” (1 Kings 19:12-14). (It is called 3 Kings in the
Vulgate.)
[Although written for religious sisters the benefit for those living in the world cannot be overstated.]
[Extracted from The True Spouse of Jesus Christ
by Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, Doctor of the Church]
CHAPTER 16.
SILENCE, SOLITUDE, AND THE PRESENCE OF GOD.
[Only the section on Silence is here presented.]
{John} CASSIAN {died 435} says: "The religious prays little who prays only
when she is on her knees in the choir or in the cell." ("Perparum
orat, quisquis, illo tantum tempore quo genua flectuntur, orare
consuevit." – Collations 10, chapter 14)
To fulfill the obligations of her state, a religious should keep her soul
continually united with God; but to maintain this constant union, continual
prayer is necessary. There are three means of acquiring the habit of continual
prayer; namely, silence, solitude, and the presence of God. These were the
means that the angel suggested to Saint Arsenius {the great, who died in 445} when
he said: "If you wish to be saved, fly into solitude, observe silence, and
repose in God by always keeping yourself in his presence." ("Si vis
salvus esse, fuge, tace et quiesce." – Vitae Patri tome 3, number
190.) We shall speak of each of these means separately. [Only the section on
Silence is here presented.]
1. Silence.
In the first place, silence is a great means of acquiring the spirit of prayer,
and of disposing the soul to converse continually with God. We rarely find a
spiritual soul that speaks much. All souls of prayer are lovers of silence that
is called the guardian of innocence, the shield against temptations, and the
fountain of prayer. For by silence devotion is preserved, and, in silence, good
thoughts spring up in the soul. Saint Bernard {died in 1153} says:
"Silence and the absence of noise in a certain manner force the soul to
think of God and of eternal goods." ("Silentium, et a strepitu quies,
cogit coelestia meditari." – Epistle 78)
Hence, the saints fled to the mountains, to caves, and to deserts, in order to
find this silence, and escape the tumults of the world, in which, as was said
to Elias (Elijah), God is not found. (3 Kings, 19:11 in the Vulgate or 1 Kings
in the Hebrew.) Theodosius the monk {considered a saint and known as the
cenobiarch, who died in 529) observed silence for thirty-five years. Saint John
the Silent {died in 558}, who gave up his bishopric and became a monk, observed
silence for forty-seven years before his death; and all the saints, even they
who were not solitaries, have been lovers of silence. Oh, how great the
blessings that silence brings to the soul! The prophet says that silence shall
cultivate justice in the soul; (Isaiah 32:17) for, on the one hand, it saves us
from a multitude of sins by destroying the root of disputes, of detractions, of
resentments, and of curiosity; and on the other, it makes us acquire many
virtues. How well does the nun practice humility who when others speak listens
with modesty and in silence! How well does she practice mortification by not
yielding to her inclination or desire to tell a certain anecdote, or to use a
witty expression suggested by the conversation! How well does she practice
meekness by remaining silent when unjustly censured or offended! Hence, the
same holy prophet said: ‘In silence and in hope shall be your strength.’ (Isaiah
30:15) Your strength shall be in silence and in hope; for by silence we shun
the occasions of sin, and by hope, we obtain the divine aid to lead a holy
life.
But, on the other hand,
immense evils flow from speaking too much. In the first place, as devotion is
preserved by silence, so it is lost by a multitude of words. However
recollected the soul may have been in prayer, if it afterwards indulge in long discourses,
it will find the mind as distracted and dissipated as if it had not made
meditation. Saint Dorotheus of Gaza {died in 566} says “Beware of too much
speaking, for it banishes from the soul holy thoughts and recollection with
God.” ("Cave a multiloquio; hoc enim sanctas cogitationes extinguit."
– Doctrines 24.)
Besides, the Holy Ghost tells us that in speaking too much we shall not fail to
commit some fault. ‘In the multitude of words they shall not want sin.’ (Proverbs
10:19) While they speak and prolong conversation without necessity, certain
persons think that they are not guilty of any defect; but if they carefully
examine themselves, they will find some fault against modesty, of detraction,
of curiosity, or at least of superfluous words. Saint Mary Magdalene Pazzi {died
in 1607} used to say that a religious should speak only through necessity. For
religious are bound in a special manner to give an account of idle words, for
which, according to our Savior, all men shall have to render account. ‘But I
say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall account for
it in the day of judgment.’ (Matthew 12:36)
I have used the words to some
defect; but when we speak too much, we shall find that we have committed a
thousand faults. Saint James has called the tongue a universal evil: ‘The
tongue is . . . a world of iniquity’. (James 3:6) For, as a learned author
remarks, the greater number of sins arise from speaking or from listening to
others. Alas! How many nuns shall we see condemned on the day of judgment, on
account of having had but little regard for silence! And what is most to be
deplored is, that the religious that dissipates her mind by intercourse with
creatures, and by too much speaking, will never be able to see her defects, and
thus she will go from bad to worse. ‘A man full of tongue shall not be
established in the earth’. (Psalm 139:12 in the Vulgate or Psalm 140:11 in the
Hebrew.) The man that speaks too much shall walk without a guide, and therefore
he shall fall into a thousand mistakes without the hope of ever perceiving
them. Such a religious appears as if unable to live without speaking
continually from morning till evening. She wishes to know what happens in the
monastery and in the world; she goes about asking questions from all the
others, and afterwards says, ‘What evil am I doing?’ I answer you, dearly
beloved sister, put an end to idle talk; endeavor to recollect yourself a
little and you will see how many defects you have committed by the multitude of
your words.
Saint Joseph Calasanctius {died
in 1648} used to say that “a dissipated religious is a source of joy to the
devil." And justly, for by her dissipation she not only does not attend to
her own sanctification, but is also an obstacle to the advancement of others,
by going about the monastery in search of some one to converse with her, by
speaking in a loud voice in every place, and by a want of reverence, even in
the choir and sacristy. Saint Ambrose (died in 307} relates that a certain
priest, while at prayer, was disturbed by the cries of a multitude of frogs: he
commanded them to be silent, and they instantly obeyed. The holy Doctor then
took occasion to say: "Shall senseless animals, then, be silent through
respect for prayer, and shall men not be silent?" ("Silent igitur
paludes; homines non silebunt?" – De Virginitate 1, 3)
And I add, will religious refuse to practice silence, after having entered the
monastery in order to become saints, to observe their Rule, and to maintain
holy recollection; or will they perform the office of the devil, by disturbing
their sisters who wish to pray, and to be recollected with God? A certain
author justly calls such talkative nuns "the home devils of
monasteries," who do great injury to the Community.
According to Saint Ignatius of Loyola [died in 1556}, to know if there is fervor in a convent, it is enough to ascertain whether silence is observed or violated. A monastery in which the sisters speak continually is an image of hell; for where there is not silence there must be continual disputes, detractions, complaints, particular friendships, and factions. But, on the other hand, a monastery in which the religious love silence is an image of paradise: it excites devotion not only in all who live in it, but also in those who live in the world. It is related by Father Perez, of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, that while a secular he entered one day into a house of the Order, and was so edified and filled with devotion by the silence of the brethren, that he renounced the world and remained in the convent. Father Natalis, of the Society of Jesus, used to say, that to reform a religious house it is enough to establish in it the observance of silence. Because each of the religious would then practice recollection, and would attend to his own advancement. Hence, also, {Jean} Gerson {died in 1429) says that the holy founders of religious Orders have prescribed and earnestly recommended silence to their religious, because they knew how important its observance is for the maintenance of fervor. In his rules for nuns, Saint Basil {died in 379) insists, not once, but frequently, on silence. Saint Benedict {died in 543} commanded his monks to endeavor to observe continual silence. (“Omni tempore silentio debent studere monachi.” – Regulations chapter 42. ‘Monks and religious ought to be zealous for silence at all times’.)
And experience shows that in the monastery in which silence is observed,
discipline is maintained; and on the other hand, where silence is neglected,
but little fervor is found. Hence, few religious become saints, because few
love silence. In many monasteries, the rule of silence is prescribed by the
written rules, and is strongly recommended; but some of the religious appear
not to know what silence is, and therefore they unhappily live in dissipation,
without fervor, and always in trouble. But, dear sisters, do not imagine that
the negligence of others will excuse or exempt you from the rule of silence.
Blessed {now canonized} Clare of Montefalco used to say that in the time of
silence it is difficult to speak without committing a fault.
Some one may excuse herself, saying, that it is sometimes necessary to speak in
order to get rid of melancholy; but how can the violation of silence free a
religious from melancholy? Let us be persuaded that all the creatures on earth
or in heaven cannot console us in our afflictions. God alone is the author of
consolation; but will he console us at the very time we offend him? But when
there is any necessity for speaking in the time of silence, at least ask permission.
Another religious does not seek occasions to speak, but as often as they are
presented, she allows herself to be led into breaches of silence by others who
wish to speak. But her condescension will certainly not excuse her from the
fault. It is necessary, then, to do violence to yourself, and to go away, or to
remain silent, and sometimes by putting the finger on the mouth to make a sign
that it is a time of silence.
And even out of the hours of
silence endeavor to practice it as much as possible if you wish to keep
yourself recollected with God and free from imperfections; for there is no sin
more easily committed than sins of tongue. He, says Solomon, ‘that keeps his
mouth keeps his soul’. (Proverbs 13:3) And Saint James says that he who sins
not with the tongue is a perfect man: ‘If any man offend not in word, the same
is a perfect man’. (James, 3:2) Hence it is the same thing to be a silent
religious and a holy religious; for by observing silence she will be punctual
to the rules, she will be devoted to prayer, to spiritual reading, and to her
visits to the Holy Sacrament. ‘Oh, how dear to God does the religious render
herself who loves silence!’ Saint Gregory of Nyssa {died in 395} remarks that
it is by silence we learn to speak well. ("Per silentium disci, quod
postea proferatur.") By silence we learn to consider well what we shall
afterwards say.
But for a religious who wishes to become a saint, what is the time for silence
and the time for speaking? The hours of silence for her are all the hours in
which there is no necessity for speaking. The time for speaking is when
necessity or charity obliges her to speak. Behold the excellent rule of Saint
John Chrysostom {died in 407}: "Then only should we speak when it is more
useful to speak than to be silent." ("Tunc solum loquendum est,
quando plus proficit quam silentium." – Sermon on Psalm 140 (Psalm 141).
From the Greek Fathers.)
Hence, the saint gives the following advice: "Either remain silent, or say
what is more profitable than silence." ("Aut tace, aut dic meliora
silentio.")
Oh! Happy he who at death can say what the monk {Egyptian desert father, Saint}
Pambo {who died in 375} said: "That he did not remember to have ever
uttered a word which he was sorry for having spoken." (See Practice of Perfection,
part 2, treatise 2, chapter 8.)
Saint Arsenius used to say that he often repented of having spoken, but never
of having remained silent. ("Me saepe poenituit dixisse, nunquam
tacuisse." – See the book by Laurentius Surius, 19 July.)
Saint Ephrem {died in 373} gave this excellent lesson to religious: "Speak
a great deal with God, and little with men." ("Cum Deo, multis; cum
hominibus, paucis loquere." – Encomium on the Psalms.)
Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi used to say the same: "The true servant of
Jesus Christ bears all things; she labors much, and speaks little."
From all that has been said,
every religious that wishes to live in union with God may see with what care
she should shun the parlor. As the air that is breathed in the choir or in the
cell is the most salubrious for religious, so the air of the grates is for them
the most pestiferous. And what is the parlor but what Saint Mary Magdalene de
Pazzi called it, a place of distractions, inquietudes, and of temptations. The
Venerable Sister Mary Villani {died in 1670} one day compelled the devil, on
the part of God, to tell in what part of the monastery he gained most. The
tempter answered: I gain in the choir, in the refectory, and in the dormitory:
in these places I partly gain, and partly lose. But in the parlor I gain all,
for the whole place is mine. {Remember, however that the devil is the father of
lies.} Hence, the Venerable Sister Philippa Cerrina had reason to call the
parlor an infected place, in which the contagion of sin is easily caught. {I
think the Saint is actually referring to Blessed Philippa Mareri, who died in
1236.} Saint Bernardine of Sienna {died in 1444} relates that a religious in
consequence of having heard in the parlor an improper word miserably fell into
a grievous sin. Truly happy was the holy virgin Saint Febronia, who afterwards
gave her life for the faith at the age of nineteen {in the persecution of
Diocletian}; she would never allow herself to be seen at the grate by any
secular, male or female. Saint Teresa {of Avila, who died in 1582} appeared
after death to one of her spiritual children, and said to her: The religious
that wishes to be a great friend of God must be an enemy of the grate.
Would to God that in all monasteries
there were grates of perforated iron such as we find in some observant
convents! A certain author relates that the Superior of a monastery procured a
narrow grate; but the devil, through rage, first bent it, and afterwards sent
it rolling through the house. The good Superior placed it, crooked as it was,
in the parlor to give the nuns to understand that, as the grate was hateful to
hell so it was pleasing to God. Oh! What an awful account will the abbess have
to give to God who introduces open grates, or who neglects to make the
companions attend. In one of her letters, Saint Teresa wrote this great
sentence: "The grates when shut are the gates of heaven; and when open
they are the gates of danger" (she did not wish to say hell). And she
added: "A monastery of nuns in which there is liberty serves to conduct
them to hell rather than to cure their weakness."
What rapid progress in divine love does the religious make who resolves never
to go to the grate! When you, dear sister, go to the parlor, be careful at
least to conduct yourself like a religious. In your intercourse with seculars,
you should not only guard with great care against all affectionate expressions,
but should also be very grave and reserved in the parlor. Saint Mary Magdalene
de Pazzi wished her nuns to be "like the wild deer" — these are her
very words. And the Venerable Sister Hyacintha Mariscotti {who died in 1640 and
is now canonized} used to say: "The courtesy of nuns consists in being
discourteous by cutting short all long discourses in the parlor." This
applies, ordinarily speaking, to long discourses even with spiritual persons.
Mother Anne of Jesus, a
Discalced Carmelite {known more widely as the Venerable Ana de Jesus or Ann
Lobera (Torres) who died in 1621}, said: "A nun acquires more fervor in
the choir or in the cell than by the longest conferences in the parlor. Show
all respect to directors, but you should treat with them only through
necessity; dispatch your business with them in a few words."
Should you ever happen to hear
in the parlor an indecent word, go away immediately; or, at least, cast down
your eyes, and change the discourse, or give no answer. In a monastery of the
Venerable {now Blessed} Sister Seraphina de Carpi {Seraphina Sforza, died in
1478} two women began to speak about a certain marriage: the attendant on duty
at the door heard the voice of Sister Seraphina (who was dead) saying,
"Chase away, chase away these women." And whenever it is in your
power, endeavor to change all discourses that savor of the world. Saint Frances
of Rome {died in 1440} received a buffet from an angel because she did not
change the conversation of certain ladies who spoke of worldly vanities. You
should be still more careful to observe silence with your sisters in the
monastery: for the occasion of breaking silence with them is more continual.
Hence, it is necessary to mortify curiosity. The Abbot John {the desert father
also known as Saint John the dwarf, died in 405} used to say: "Let him who
wishes to restrain the tongue shut his ears by mortifying the curiosity of
hearing news." It is also necessary to avoid the conversation of any
religious who speaks frequently.
It is, moreover, well to fix some time each day during which you will observe
silence, remaining alone in your cell or in some solitary place in order to
avoid the occasions of speaking. Whenever you have to speak, be careful, in
conformity with the advice of the Holy Ghost, ‘Make a balance for your words’,
(Ecclesiasticus, 28:29) to examine what you ought to say. Make a balance for
your words that you may weigh them before you give expression to them. Hence Saint
Bernard says that "before your words come to the tongue, let them pass
twice under the file of examination," that you may suppress what you
should not utter. ("Bis ad limam veniant verba, quam semel ad
linguam." – Punct. perf. 7.)
The same was said by Saint Francis de Sales {died in 1622} in other words,
namely, that to speak without sin every one should keep a lock on his lips,
that in opening his mouth to speak he might reflect well on what he wishes to
say.
Before speaking, you should
consider —
1.
Whether what you intend to say can injure charity, modesty, or exact
observance.
2.
Examine the motive that impels you to speak; for it sometimes happens that what
a person says is good, but her intention is bad; she speaks either to appear
spiritual, or to acquire a character for talent.
3.
Examine to whom you speak, whether to your Superiors, to companions, or to
inferiors: whether in the presence of seculars, or of the postulants, who may
perhaps be scandalized at what you say. Saint Bonaventure {died in 1274} says
that it is a great defect in religious to speak in a too loud voice and he says
never to correct in a loud voice for otherwise, your reprimand will be
attributed to impatience and your correction will be profitless. (Spec. disc. part
1, chapter 31.)
4. At recreation, which is the proper time for unbending the mind, speak when the others are silent, but endeavor as often as you can to speak on something that has reference to God. "Let us speak of the Lord Jesus," says Saint Ambrose, "let us always speak of him." ("Loquamur Dominum Jesum, ipsum semper loquamur." – Sermon on Psalm 36 (Psalm 37) from the Latin Fathers.)
And what other enjoyment should a religious seek than to speak of her most
amiable Spouse? He who has an ardent love for another, appears unable to speak
of anything but of him. They who speak little of Jesus Christ, show that they
have but little love for Jesus Christ. On the other hand, it often happens that
good religious, after speaking on divine love, feel more fervor than after
mental prayer. At the conversations of the servants of God, says Saint Teresa,
Jesus Christ is always present. Of this, Father Gisolfo, of the Congregation of
the "Pious Workers," relates a memorable example, in the life of the
Venerable Father Anthony de Collelis. He says that Father Constantine Rossi,
the Master of novices, saw one day two of his young disciples, F. D. Anthony
Torres, and F. D. Philip Orilia, conversing together, and with them a young man
of most beautiful aspect. The Master of novices was surprised that two novices,
whom he regarded as most exemplary, should speak to a stranger without
permission: he therefore asked who was the young man whom he had seen
conversing with them. They said there was no one conversing with them. But he
afterwards learned that they were speaking of Jesus Christ, and understood that
the person whom he saw in their company was our divine Savior.
Except in the hours of recreation, and other extraordinary occasions, such as
in attending the sick or in consoling a sister in tribulation, it is always
better to be silent. A religious of the Order of Saint Teresa, as we find in
the Teresian Chronicles, said that it is better to speak with God than
to speak of God.
But when obedience or charity obliges you to speak, or to have intercourse with
creatures, you must always endeavor to find intervals, for at least repairing
the losses caused by the distractions attendant on these external occupations;
stealing at least as many little moments as possible to recollect yourself with
God; thus following the counsel of the Holy Ghost: ‘Let not the part of a good
gift overpass you’. (Ecclesiasticus, 14:14) Do not allow that particle of time
to pass away: give it to God, if you can have no more to give him during the
day. But whenever you can abridge the conversation, abridge it under some
pretext. A good religious seeks not pretexts, as some do, to prolong
conversation, but endeavors to find out some means of shortening it. Let us
remember that time is given us not to be spent unprofitably, but to be employed
for God, and in acquiring merits for eternity. Saint Bernardine of Sienna used
to say that a moment of time is of as much value as God, because in each moment
we can gain his friendship, or greater degrees of grace.
Prayer.
O my God, may the patience with which You have borne me be forever blessed.
You have given me time to love You, and I have spent it in offending and
displeasing You.
Were I now to die, with what heartfelt pain should I end my life, at the
thought of having spent so many years in the world, and of having done nothing.
Lord, I thank You for still giving me time to repair my negligence, and so many
lost years.
O my Jesus! Through the merits of Your Passion, assist me.
I do not wish to live any longer for myself, but only for You, and for Your
love.
I know not how much of life remains, whether it is long or short; but were it a
hundred or a thousand years, I wish to spend them all in loving and pleasing You.
I love You, O my Sovereign Good, and I hope to love You for eternity.
I do not wish to be ever again ungrateful to You.
I will no longer resist Your love, which has so long called me to be entirely Yours.
Shall I wait till You abandon me, and call me no more?
Mary, my mother, assist me, pray for me, and obtain for me perseverance in my
resolution to be faithful to God.
*****