Enter the silence

Water’s Soul, by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, sits on the edge of the Hudson River in Jersey City, New Jersey, facing New York City. It is made of resin, fiberglass, and marble dust. Plensa, known for monumental art installations, says the message of this 2020 sculpture is “to keep silent . . . to listen to the profound noise of the water talking to us.” (Photo of Water’s Soul by Mariusz Lopusiewicz for Shutterstock)

SHH. QUIET. BE STILL. Listen. These are standard directives in meditation and contemplation to focus the mind and heart on a wide world that goes beyond words. “In silence and quiet the devout soul advances in virtue and learns the hidden truths of scripture,” promises Saint Thomas à Kempis in Imitation of Christ. Insight and enlightenment are just preliminary riches received as we progress toward what Saint Teresa of Ávila calls the Prayer of Quiet, which offers the “greatest peace, calm, and sweetness in the inmost depths of our being.” Indeed, silence has significant physical and spiritual benefits. Our blood pressure lowers, our focus increases, and we become more mindful of who we are and where we belong. These are exactly the assurances we are seeking as we discern our vocation. In a world of relentless noise and distraction, finding space in our day for hushed solitude is a challenge. But silence is a spiritual imperative. For “it is in silence,” Saint John of the Cross tells us, that God’s one Word, his Son, “can be heard by the soul.” Find a quiet corner and listen to what God’s Word is whispering to you.