Walking through Lent with the Carthusians - On Silence - A Carthusian Series

 An Excerpt from "The Wound of Love"

"Too often one thinks that silence only entails establishing peace in one's intellect, imagination and senses. This is one aspect of silence but there is more to silence than that.

 It is also necessary that the very depths of the heart, to the extent that they reflect and express the will should themselves be silent; that all desires be stilled other than that of doing the will of the Father. Instead of tensely imposing itself on the rest of my being, my will should abide in a state of pure receptivity, listening and welcoming.

Only then does the possibility arise of entering into an authentic silence of all my being before God, a silence born of the genuine conformity of my deepest being with the Father, since it is created in His image and likeness.

Photo by Jim Lanyon

God alone suffices; everything else is nothing.

Silence truly exists in the heart once all the impurities which were opposed to the reign of the Father have disappeared. 

True silence is only found in a pure heart, a heart that resembles the heart of God.

This is why a really pure heart is able to maintain complete silence, even when it is immersed in all sorts of activity, because there is no longer any discord between it and God."

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."