Silence
Listen carefully, my child,
to your master’s precepts,
and incline the ear of your heart (Prov. 4:20).
Receive willingly and carry out effectively
your loving father’s advice,
that by the labor of obedience
you may return to Him
from whom you had departed by the sloth of disobedience.
To you, therefore, my words are now addressed,
whoever you may be,
who are renouncing your own will
to do battle under the Lord Christ, the true King,
and are taking up the strong, bright weapons of obedience.
–Prologue of the Rule of St. Benedict
My current spiritual reading now includes Three Books on the Duties of the Clergy, by St. Ambrose. I have been struck very much by the beginning of the first book and Ambrose’s focus on the necessity of silence in order to learn to speak. My early seminary formation took place at Conception Abbey in Northwest Missouri. The Benedictine monks there certainly taught me the importance of silence in the spiritual life. I found a peace there that prepared me well for my time at Mundelein Seminary in the big and busy city of Chicago. Ambrose challenged his priests with these words:
Some ways there are which we ought to follow; others as to which we ought to take heed. We must follow the ways of the Lord, and take heed to our own ways, lest they lead us into sin. One can take heed if one is not hasty in speaking. The law says: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God.” It said not: “Speak,” but “Hear.”
Many times I find that I am too hasty in speaking. I need to listen more to others. My friend Fr. Pete has been a recent example for me of what it means to listen attentively to others. We spend each Sunday night together in prayer and dialogue with our justfaith group. I can rely confidently on Fr. Pete’s silent listening to each member of the group as different viewpoints are expressed.
It is not hard to see the simple ways that my own spiritual life could be enhanced, but seeing and doing are two very different things. I pray today that the words of the prophet Samuel can become more my own in this coming year.
Speak Lord. Your servant is listening.
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