Thinking lately about the power of the spiritual practice of intentional silence in a very noisy world.
Was reading through one of the best books ever on spiritual formation, Invitation to a Journey by Robert Mullholland, and came across his section on silence.
Here are a few bits of his wisdom:
"We tend to think of silence as simply being still.
But the silence of which the mothers and fathers of the church speak goes far beyond mere quietness.
Their silence is the deep inner reversal of that grasping, controlling mode of being that so characterizes life in our culture ...
The practice of silence is the radical reversal of our cultural tendencies.
Silence is bringing ourselves to the point of relinquishing to God our control of our relationship with God.
Silence is a reversal of the whole possessing, controlling, grasping dynamic of trying to maintain control of our own existence.
Silence is the inner act of letting it go."
Mulholland has a profound ability to describe something as simple as silence in such a way that it becomes a rich, complex, beautiful thing.
Silence becomes a way of allowing God to transform us at the deepest level.
Silence; really letting go, really trusting God ...
It is free.
It is available at a moment's notice.
Anyone can do it.
And yet it is one of the most difficult spiritual practices ever.
Probably because we do not want to "relinquish control."