As we prepare for a silent retreat this weekend, I like to think of the words of others who have gone before:
Somewhere we know that without a lonely place our lives are in danger. Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure. Somewhere we know that without a lonely place our actions quickly become empty gestures. The careful balance between silence and words, withdrawal and involvement, distance and closeness, solitude and community forms the basis of the Christian life and should therefore be the subject of our most personal attention. (Henri Nouwen)
Silence requires the discipline to recognize the urge to get up and go again as a temptation to look elsewhere for what is close at hand. It offers the freedom to stroll in your own inner yard, and to rake up the leaves there and clear the paths so you can easily find the way to your heart. (Henri Nouwen)
Silence is God’s first language; everything else is a poor translation. In order to hear that language, we must learn to be still and to rest in God. (Thomas Keating)
It is in deep solitude and silence that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love my brother and sister. (Thomas Merton)
Apprentice 2 Jesus 