In the book’s Foreward, Joseph Pearce writes: “If we wish to have minds open to the presence of God, we need to take time … in the silence of prayer. We need more time with trees and less time with trash and trivia.” He says well a key point: God is present in silence, and as we grow closer to Him we perceive His presence there, whether in the quiet of our early morning awakening, or the awe of the adoration chapel. And the more we perceive Him, the more we want to be with Him, and stay into an eternity with Him.
Many people, and most probably the young ones, think silence is boring. It’s why they treasure their cell phones, hopping from point to point with what they perceive is excitement, when all it is, is a stimulation of the body’s senses
Be still and know
that I am God
Psalm 46
In Chapter 4 of this book, Fr. Bethel headed a section with the words: “God surpasses our clear knowledge. He IS, simply and absolutely, infinite.” Fr. Bethel goes on to note how we begin a relationship, a spiritual childhood with God, and begin to know Him. He explains our spiritual growth, through the GIFTS of Faith, Hope, and Charity, and how we nourish them by spiritual reading and meditation. We grow in our knowledge of God. Fr. Bethel then writes about how we speak to Him, in prayer. And all this spiritual growth does not excite our physical senses, quite the opposite. It quiets them. Our physical senses are for our dealing with the world. Our spiritual senses, however, and the quiet and beauty of nature, are where we come to know and love God.
From Silence to Silence is a beautiful, thoughtful book. Don’t read it after the excitement of a hard day, or taking a break from your work or entertainment excitement. Start reading it at a quiet time, free from all activity. And you will begin to hear God, and grow From Silence to Silence. And you will find yourself looking forward to those times, to be with God.
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