PROVIDENCE—Silence may be golden, but it won't help you get your point across to others in a world dominated by a steady stream of voices and information flowing nonstop from televisions, computers and Smartphones.
But Pope Benedict XVI, in his latest message for World Communications Day, reminds Catholics that silence plays a vital role in communicating with others: It forces the faithful to listen more closely, evaluate ideas more thoroughly, and temper responses.
Amid the deluge of information and nonstop chatter in today's media, the church needs to help people find safe havens of silence, the pope said. Silent retreats offer individuals a place to quiet their voices and minds and help deepen a relationship with God and create an awareness of his presence.
It’s going to be more and more difficult for our culture to go on silent retreats, said Deb Bauer, president of Mater Ecclesiae College in Greenville. Bauer, who has attended and led numerous silent retreats, said that extended silence can be a challenge.
“Sometimes you have to psyche yourself up for it,” she explained. “It seems really hard but it’s more spiritually invigorating than a Caribbean cruise. Everyone has wounds and that’s usually why people are scared of silent retreats because they will have to face it. But, God loves you and is going to stretch you a bit on retreat.”
Emily Gray, 19, a student at Mater Ecclesiae College, says she loves to talk, so it can be difficult to get herself to go on a silent retreat.
“You feel that there are so many different to dos going on to take the time to stop and listen to God,” she said. “It’s not easy, but once you get into it you don’t want it to end. You’re in a conversation with God. One of the beautiful things is that it gives you the time to discover yourself more. It’s the perfect setting. I live for that silence.”
Gray shared that even if there isn’t time for someone to dedicate themselves to a long silent retreat, it is important to find little moments of quiet.
“When I would take the dog for a walk, I wouldn’t bring my iPod — I would just go. I would just encounter God in nature. The silence helps to put it all back into perspective.”
Taniele Tucker, a consecrated woman from the Bahamas, said that after going on a silent retreat she feels renewed and ready to face what was hardest for her with courage and serenity.
“God doesn’t really waste much time,” said Tucker. “If you open the door, he will speak to you. You don’t have to pick up and go away for the weekend. It begins with the desire and taking those brief moments. Sometimes I just go to the beach, or take a moment in between classes and in those moments I would always start asking myself the most important questions.”
Encountering who you are if you haven’t gotten to know yourself can be startling, Tucker explained. In the silence, you go over the good moments and the bad, but in the midst of it all you encounter Christ.
“In that encounter he reveals me to myself and there is nothing to be afraid of because he knows me so well,” she said. “ Even after you leave a silent retreat you can always continue that dialogue with God. It makes me think that there are no awkward silences in heaven.”
Many find St. Edmund's Retreat Center on Enders Island, in Mystic, Connecticut to be a haven of spiritual renewal and quiet Catholic prayer, said Jeff Anderson, executive director of the retreat center. Each year, St. Edmund’s offers men and women a guided opportunity to grow closer to God through retreat. The week long “prayer journey” is a time to enter into quiet and stillness with the Holy Spirit.
“Silence is more daunting now than it has been in the past,” said Anderson. “We offer several week long silent directed retreats, and all year long we offer silent private retreats. The silent private retreat can be for as little as one overnight to a week or more. Anyone can come at any time to discover the wonders of God in their life. We have people come from all walks of life to experience the call of God in the silence of the heart and mind.”
In the course of a silent retreat you discover the truth of Psalm 139. God truly does know me; he knows what I am doing, and what I am thinking. And you learn to be comfortable in knowing that God is with us every step of the way.”
Moments of quiet and calm allow people to sift through, process and evaluate the information they bombarded with, and figure out what is important, said Bauer.
“Let’s face it, the world doesn’t stop,” she said. “For the average person, it’s best to find that space where you won’t be interrupted, whether it be in a chapel or a space in your house or going on a hike by yourself. For me, the most beautiful thing is being silent before the Blessed Sacrament. That’s been a place you can quiet yourself and for God to speak to your heart. When you’re silent, you have to force yourself time for examining where you are at and where God is leading you.”
With reports from Catholic News Service
