The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise

Silence is a masterpiece of Cistercian and Cathusian spirituality, offering a deep well from which all can draw graces with which to water the arid wasteland of contemporary culture. Cardinal Sarah is a engaging writer who reveals the beauty of his own soul, disciplined by a lifetime of prayer, fasting and silence, as he sifts through two millennia of the greatest Catholic thinkers to bring us the Chruch’s best reflections on silence. I do have one problem with Sarah’s reasoning, however. He contends that Heaven will be silent, that people will communicate noiselessly. I find that hard to accept given the mention in Revelation that there would be silence in Heaven for half an hour. That implies that silence is the exception rather than the rule. Furthermore, the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom speaks of the “singing, shouting, crying out” of the triumphal hymn with the angels, hardly a quiet setting. Finally, one must consider frequent mention of choirs of angels and their music. It seems to me that Christ aims to divinize all aspects of human life. Why would human speech be an exception? At any rate, this remains a five star book by a most admirable, learned, charming and holy writer. I found it well worth reading, though I wish the cardinal would address the points I raised in some later work of his.

A Great book on the benefits of silence! Robert Cardinal Sarah has a John the Baptist-type quality to him that I find refreshing (in this age when being "judgmental" seems to be the unforgivable sin). And so, though he witnesses more often to the benefits of silence in this gem of a book, he isn't afraid to excoriate the "din" (No. 108) of noise: "[T]he dictatorship of a world filled with idols that gorge themselves on technology and material goods, a world dominated and manipulated by the media, a world that flees God by taking refuge in noise. (No. 103) ... And this noise becomes all the more obsessive because God is absent. (No. 142) ... [M]an rejects silence even more because he wants to become God himself. In silence he cannot be a false God but can merely stand in a luminous face-to-face encounter with God. (No. 120) ... Noise surrounds us and assaults us. ... Noise is a desecration of the soul, noise is the 'silent ruin' of the interior life. (Nos. 148, 149) ... Lack of respect for silence is a form of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. (No. 136) ... Man must make a choice: God or nothing, silence or noise. (No. 111)" Some of Cardinal Sarah's positive thoughts on silence include: "Silence is a paradise ... Silence and solitude are a small anticipation of eternity, when we will be in God's presence permanently, irradiated by him, the great Silent One, because he is the great lover. (Nos. 120, 119) ... The silence of eternity is the consequence of God's infinite love. (No. 189) ... The silence of eternity is a silence of love. (No. 192) ... We can become true contemplatives by living in peace with God if our houses become temples of God. (No. 122) ... [L]et us allow God to introduce us into his silence and diligently learn to love and to live in this same silence. (No. 197)" Today on the Catholic Church calendar is the Optional Memorial of the First Martyrs Of The Church Of Rome. Consider Cardinal Sarah's words in No. 198: "Today, the silences of Christian martyrs who will be massacred by the enemies of Christ imitate and prolong those of the Son of God. The martyrs of the first centuries, like those of our sad time, all show the same silent dignity. Silence then becomes their only speech, their only testimony, their last testament. The blood of martyrs is a seed, a cry, and a silent prayer that rises up to God." How did Jesus prepare for His mission of saving us by His Death? Cardinal Sarah says: "It is important to stop for a moment at his stay in the desert of Judea, for forty days and forty nights, before his public life, as though to store up reserves of silence with a view to this immense mission that will lead him so far as to give his life. (No. 199) ... In order to face the Cross, which is still far off, silence and solitude are a necessity. (200)" I've barely scratched the surface of what's in this great book. Allow me to end with a couple of more quotes of Cardinal Sarah I like: "Today ... this pagan world besotted with idols ... boasts of the most abominable sins (122) ... Man's hatred for man is a denial of God. To kill a human being or a human embryo, knowingly, voluntarily and deliberately, is an inexcusable crime. For God said: 'Thou shalt not kill.' And this law is absolute. (317)" By saying "inexcusable crime," I am sure Cardinal Sarah is not ruling out heartfelt repentance and sacramental forgiveness for those who have committed or been complicit in the taking of innocent human life.

A very critical examination of the need for silence in the life of the individual Christian in the post modern world. Cardinal Sarah beautifully describes the void and emptiness of constant communication through social networking. He makes it perfectly clear to the reader that despite this constant connection communication through social media, many thousands of persons experience a crisis of identity. According to Cardinal Sarah, this identity crisis is directly caused by existential loneliness that arises from impersonal communication. Every human person has a deep hunger and a longing for a connection with the One who can fill that void created by mass communication. In reading this work I was reminded of a story in Ronald Rolheiser’s book “The Holy Longing”, that describes perfectly our need and desire for flesh and blood human contact. In his work, Rolheiser describes the story of a little girl having a nightmare about monsters in her room. Her parents run to her room to console her. In doing so, they ask her to not be afraid because Jesus is with us always, at which she exclaims, “I know that but I just needed someone with some skin to be Jesus for me.” Friends this is why Jesus came among us taking on human flesh. He did so because he loves the Father and every person created in his image and likeness. He truly wants to be with us, in and through all things, that is why he is a prisoner of Love in our tabernacles. He wants to share with us his power to become not only children of God, but also his life-giving presence in a world filled with boogey men, so that we don’t have to face the monsters by ourselves. “Stay sober and alert. Your opponent, the devil, is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him in solid in your faith, knowing the brotherhood of believers is going through the same sufferings.” 1 Pt 5: 8-11.

I have not finished reading it all yet. But what I have read is exactly what I was looking for! I am studying the value of silence, contemplation and the eremitic life. The benefits of all the above are overwhelming and inspirational

Very important book! How to listen to good, its not enough to be quiet, but Silence is the key. A great great book. Cardinal Sarah would make a great pope

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What an amazing book from one of the most passionate Catholics -Robert Cardinal Sarah.. A must buy for a Catholic.

This book educated me on the importance of silence that we can also achieve in our busy and noisy life. I learnt the relationship of the mass and silence i which the Novus ordo has sadly crippled. Despite of that, I learnt how to make efforts in order to experience and achieve silence in my everyday life.