As a people, we are afraid of silence. That’s our major barrier to prayer. I believe silence and words are related. Words that don’t come out ofsilence probably don’t say much. Theyprobably are more an unloading than a communicating Yet words feed silence and that’s why we havethe word of God-the read word, the proclaimed word, the written word. But that written and proclaimed doesn’t beara great deal of fruit – it doesn’t really break open the heart of the Spirit - unlessit’s tasted and chewed, unless it’s felt and suffered and enjoyed at a levelbeyond words .
BlaisePascal said all human evil comes into the world because people can’t sit stillin a chair for thirty minutes! I hopethat’s an exaggeration. Maybe he’ssaying that running from silence is undoubtedly running from our souls,ourselves and therefore, from God
IfI had to advise one thing for spiritual growth, it would be silence.
RichardRohr, Letting Go: A Spirituality ofSubtraction