Silence and speech belong together. The one presupposes the other. 

Our modern culture is suffused with noise. Non-stop chatter (the stuff of Cable TV), incessant music, advertising and talk, talk, talk surround us. No room for silence. No space for reflection. No opportunities for clear, quiet thinking let alone thoughtful conversation among colleagues or friends.

The truth is that genuine speech requires periods of reflective silence. I cannot really say what is in my heart—or on my mind—if I have no time to gather my thoughts and emotions, to make sense of my innermost hopes and my most penetrating fears.

Silence can be liberating—freeing me from the tyranny of ideas, values and habits imposed on me by the external world. In silence, I can sort things out. I can discover what is true. I can decide what is real.

Following an appropriate period of silence, I can speak wisely, thoughtfully, with loving care. I can turn down the noise and separate myself from the blabbering crowd.

Help me, Lord, to be silent sometimes. To listen to the soft, still whisper of your voice.

How I long for the stillness of your Word and the fullness of your holy silence!