The Kind of Silence I Could Almost Hear
Sometimes, even silence can change you
I once went to a place in Guimaras, a beautiful island in the Philippines.
I’ve been to many places, but in that place, there was a different kind of silence...a silence you could almost hear. Perhaps it’s because of the lack of electricity in the area. Perhaps it’s the absence of internet connections. But in that place, silence is more than the absence of sound. It was a kind of silence you can feel, a silence whose presence touches you and changes you. It as that kind that I could never forget.
Here is an actual excerpt from my diary:
At Himala, Barangay Sibunag, we witnessed a spectacular sunset. (I was glad we captured it on film). I was glad I didn’t miss the silhouette of the tree set apart from the rest, somewhat bowing to the left with branches surrendering to the glaring orange sky.
Indeed, the peace of the place, especially upon arriving at Barangay Sebaste was striking. No loud stereos, no television sets – just the soft rusting of leaves and the sweet chirping of birds now and then.
They say that silence is not the same as peace, and I agree, but sometimes, we need a certain silence to understand again what peace was like. Silence helps us listen deeper. It opens not only our ears, but our hearts.
“We sit silently and watch the world around us. This has taken a lifetime to learn. It seems only the old are able to sit next to one another and not say anything and still feel content. The young, brash and impatient, must always break the silence. It is a waste, for silence is pure. Silence is holy. It draws people together because only those who are comfortable with each other can sit without speaking. This is the great paradox.” ― Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook
“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.” - Mother Teresa
When Love Is Silent
Have you seen the face of love?
Then you must have seen|
the face of silence.
That silent joy
when you are there,
someone who is simply happy
to be with you.
That silent gaze
urging you on,
not wishing to embarrass you
but to give you hope.
That silent longing
to be closer,
and to never let go.
The kind of silence
that will let you be,
that can set you free.
The kind of silence
that will not argue with you,
that will not hurt your heart.
How many times
have you seen love?
And how many times
have you turned away
because you cannot bear
the silence in her eyes?
When you have caused her pain,
and she doesn’t blame
or bring you shame,
but silently cries
and waits…
O, what a moment
to see,
when love is there
for you and me.
In Rest and In Hope
“If you return and be quiet, you shall be saved: in silence and in hope shall your strength be.” – Isaiah 30:15 (DRB)
It is not always in doing something that we advance. It is not always in fretting about that we gain victory.
Many times, what we really need is a place to rest and to be still, and in that stillness, to gain the strength we need.
We can’t win by always focusing on our troubles and seeing how big and terrible they are. We need to see hope. We need to see how God is bigger than all the problems that trouble us.
In that place of rest, we begin to see light again.
We are able to focus more on our source of strength and thereby gain courage to face the challenges coming our way. We need to see God’s beauty and might, His majesty and His mercy. We need to be assured that everything will certainly work out in the end because we have a God who can be trusted, a God of justice and of love.
We are not alone. Though we falter, we can rise again. Though we fear, we can renew our courage. We need only to rest awhile and in that rest, find our hope again.
“All shall be well, all shall be well… For there is a Force of love moving through the universe that holds us fast and will never let us go.” – St. Julian of Norwich, All Shall Be Well
Of Love and Silence
Sometimes I just want to be silent
Silent enough to hear you
Silent enough to see you
Silent enough to speak.
For though love longs to be close
There has to be some pause
Some distance before one's touch
For hearts that yearn so much.
In silence then do we linger
Where love alone can whisper
Where hands clasped together
Speak more than you can tell.
“…a time to tear,
and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence,
and a time to speak;
a time to love,
and a time to hate;
a time for war,
and a time for peace.
— Ecclesiastes 3, WEB-BE”
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God bless!