A Still, Small Voice

I love The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. It is a fabulously moving commentary on the folly of man, written from the perspective of the Tempter himself. The book is a collection of fictional letters between a senior devil, Screwtape, and his protégé, Wormwood, a young devil. Screwtape advises Wormwood in the ways of the successful tempter. One passage on noise strikes a chord in my heart each time I read it. Screwtape writes to Wormwood:

We will make the whole universe a noise in the end. We have already made great strides in that direction as regards the Earth. The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end.

Screwtape readily admits that he does little work to tempt man in evil ways, away from God; rather, he simply promotes noise. See, God’s language is silence. His creation grows in silence—flowers, plants, babies in the womb. Jesus, God Incarnate, was conceived in silence; St. Joseph uttered not one word in the gospels. God speaks to our hearts in silence. When we let ourselves be overcome by noise, we distance ourselves from God. 

While on retreat with the Sisters of Life recently, I was able to spend much of my time in silence. Upon my return home, I found that the noisiness of life felt quite foreign. Listening to the car radio was suddenly awkward, and temporary silences were anything but. Each time I felt the clumsy noisiness of life overcome me, I ran to silence. In the silence was prayer. There, I heard the whisper of God beckoning me to Him. Though I often struggle with my perceived inability to hear God, I recognized His presence, even in—especially in—quiet. Remember the God’s call to Elijah in the first book of Kings? 

And he said, “Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13)

The Lord could have chosen to appear to Elijah in any number of ways—in fire, like He appeared to Moses in the burning bush, or in thunder and smoke, like He appeared to the Israelites on Mount Sinai. But the Lord, who orchestrates the control of every medium on earth, chose to come to Elijah in a whisper. God’s silence is so powerful that it drowns out earthquakes, thunder, fire, and wind. Our Lord possesses a thunderous silence. 

I try (and repeatedly fail) to remain silent on the drive to morning Mass. Or to Eucharistic Adoration. No radio, no snide comments to my sisters, even as few wandering thoughts as possible. Any time I am visiting my God, I want those ten or twenty minutes before our meeting to be a preparation of my heart as a sacrifice to His. When I come to Mass or adoration prepared to receive Him, I give God the chance to penetrate the busyness of my life to cultivate His peace. It is incredibly difficult. We all understand that, as cell phones and television and work and school and giant Catholic families close in on all sides. Yet there is no single element more important to prayer than silence. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta advocated tirelessly for silence, calling it "necessary so you can hear God everywhere." Screwtape regards noise as a devil’s greatest weapon against God. We must, therefore, do all we can to combat noise. We must preserve silence, for in doing so we preserve God in our hearts. 

Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, not even if your whole world seems upset. If you find that you have wandered away from the shelter of God, lead your heart back to Him quietly and simply. —St. Francis de Sales

*For more on Blessed Teresa of Calcutta's thoughts on silence and prayer, as well as practical tips for practicing silence, see New World Library.