Silence is golden
by Monica Pugh | April 17, 2025
The sign spanning the interstate flashed the message, “Today is the National Day of Quiet!” There is a national day for everything. So, no surprise really. What did surprise me is this particular sign popping into my view as I pondered what to include in this column. A quick internet search confirmed the day of silence happens every year. Mentioning silence to people sometimes elicits anxiety but also wonderment. Some people enjoy quiet and some people do not like it at all. Silence allows us to hear our own thoughts. But, more importantly, silence allows time for contemplation in prayer to hear God speaking to us.
My first experience with extended silence in prayer was in 2023 during my first 8-day silent retreat. I was asked by many people how I would survive eight days of silence without my phone or computer. I did not know how I would endure nor if I would like only speaking once a day to my spiritual director. Do I really want to be alone with my own thoughts? I surrendered and became fearless with the opportunity because I had everything to gain as I learned to pray. A wise insight of Henri Nouwen, a Dutch priest and theologian, says, “It is not easy to enter into the silence and reach beyond the many boisterous and demanding voices of our world and to discover there the small intimate voice saying: ‘You are my Beloved Child, on you my favor rests’.” Settling into the silence was difficult. But I surrendered as I turned off my phone, computer, and voice.
Ironically, my silence became loud, engaging, interactive, emotional and intimate with God. As I contemplated Scripture provided by my spiritual director, the silence became a classroom with me as a disciple entering into a deeper relationship with our infinite and mysterious God. I knew when I was tossing around my own thoughts or when I heard God’s words. His words dropped into my mind and provided deep, warm, solace for my soul.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC 2710, says, “One does not undertake contemplative prayer only when one has the time: one makes time for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up, no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter.” I was saving silence for the very last column of this Jubilee year of prayer. But when I saw the interstate sign God changed my mind. I realized it is the next step in learning how to pray and I needed to write about it now. Prayer is not only surrendering the time but making time. Time for prayer in silence must be chosen. In silence, we can bring our rosaries, devotions, and all the prayers we know while settling into contemplation with our Lord. Does deep contemplation happen every time in prayer? No. But there is hope it can happen when we choose to surrender to the silence. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Surrender to a few minutes of silence each day and hear God call you his own.