The Baptism of Silence

 

I am a contemplative at heart.  I have been to numerous monasteries both in the United States and elsewhere, and I am in awe of the life of a monastic community.  This is the way I am wired.  I love the beauty of monasteries, the quiet and reflective environment which is set up to foster connection with God and others.  And in the midst of all the trappings of the contemplative life, I am most enamored with silence.
  Silence is a spiritual discipline of keeping our mouths (both external and internal) closed long enough that we can truly listen.  I have been trying over years to nurture this discipline in my life and along the road of my own spiritual journey.  And it has become a sanctuary of reflection and revelation.
  I have come to see silence as a type of baptism.  Whereas actual baptism is a submersion under water and a return to the air, symbolizing the death of the false self, and the birth of the true self in Christ, silence is a death of noise and distraction and the rise of real attention.  Presence.  Awareness.
  When I am silent, it takes time for my inner voice to quiet and for my thoughts to settle down, but eventually there comes time where I am able to just be and just listen.
   I also recognize that in silence I am letting go of some control, because I am not the master of the conversation.  I am the recipient.  I am putting myself in a stance where I can truly receive something from the Ultimate Giver.  Sometimes I hear, or sense a leading in some direction.  Sometimes I don't hear anything or sense anything.  But always, I am with the One who calls me Son and tells me I am loved.
  Silence is purifying, and thus again, resonates with baptism.  It washes away my worries, and my schedule and my drive to do and check things off of lists.  Silence not only takes these away, but it also gives me something.  There is a deep inner, and sometimes hard to describe, peace.  A type of tranquility that comes with having stopped speaking, and stopped moving in order to pay attention to my breath and be fully present to the Trinity.
  Now, I won't pretend that this is easy.  It is actually quite difficult at times, and sometimes one of the first observations I make in silence is how tired I am and I am drifting more toward sleep than to focus and attention.  But, I have rarely, if ever, felt that silence was a waste of time.
  There are so many competing voices, noises, commitments and other stuff of life that distract, pull and demand of us, but silence offers a time and space for being centered on the most real real.  The God who is Love.  The source of my life breath and the oasis of life giving refreshment.
  Consider this your invitation to take even a few minutes each day and spend them in silence.