Into the silence

Today’s gospel places us in the Synagogue in Capernaum.  Even today, the foundations of that place of worship are still outlined, and as we stand inside the space where it once stood, it isn’t difficult to see that it would have been a place of encounter, a place where all manner of social gatherings would have taken place.

Jesus and his disciples went to the Synagogue on the Sabbath.  At the time, everyone in town would have been there, listening to Jesus as he taught.  As they listened, they were astonished at his teaching (Mk 1:22) and would have been paying close attention.  Perhaps they were totally unaware that someone else had made his way into the crowd.  The words that this newcomer spoke would have broken the spell that had seemed to keep them captivated by Jesus’ words.  This new voice cried out harshly: What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  (Mk 1:24).   In response to this interruption, Jesus simply says: Be silent! (Mk 1:25).

The society around is so filled with noises of all kinds that we can sometimes forget that it is possible for us to be silent.  Silence is not merely the absence of noise, but a living reality that helps us to stay connected to ourselves and, more importantly, to stay connected to our God.  It is often only when we are disciplined enough to sit in silence that we are able to take a second look at things that are concerning us.  Silence allows us to look at life from different angles.  In fact, it is often from the depths of silence that great pearls of wisdom are able to find a home in our minds and hearts.

In the case of the demoniac presented in the gospel, silence allowed Jesus to free the possessed man from his imprisonment.  Those who were standing around and witnessed this act of mercy were amazed at what they saw as Jesus commanded the evil spirit: come out of him! (Mk 1:25).

In the silence of prayer, Moses heard the Lord entrusting him with advise for his people: The Lord, your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me (Deut 18:15) ... and anyone who does not heed the words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will hold him accountable (Deut 18:19).

I wonder whether our modern-day insistence on being surrounded by noise is not a rebellious way of trying to fill the silence – which is God’s gift – with activity and sound that is an attempt to fool ourselves into thinking that silence is the absence of something instead of the place where we are invited to encounter our God, the place where He invites us to be free of all our anxieties (1 Cor 7:32) so that we can begin to see the various details of our lives not as competing for attention but rather as an opportunity to marvel at the way God uses our busy-ness to remind us of his presence.

Take time this week to be silent and you may be surprised at how it will help to put everything else into perspective.