Florida Catholic | Bishop Barbarito's Column

DECEMBER 7, 2007

“As we move farther into the season of Advent, ‘Into Great Silence,’ may it be a time that helps us to listen for God who is all around us.”

A recent movie that has mesmerized many who have seen it and which has captured quite a bit of popular attention regards the Grand Chartreuse, a Carthusian monastery in the French Alps. Titled “Into Great Silence,” the movie is 162 minutes of almost complete silence that was filmed by one man without a crew and without artificial lighting. The movie has no plot or even a logical sequence of events. It is a series of scenes of the Carthusian monks’ daily prayers, work and routine, as well as a panorama of the magnificent natural setting of the monastery. And yet it has captured popular attention in a riveting manner and has been described by film critics as “utterly spellbinding” and “breathtaking.”

Watching the film is indeed a captivating experience. One sees not only the beauty of God’s created order, but also of that made by his creatures. You appreciate more, in the silence of the monastery, ordinary things that many times are taken for granted and even overlooked — the beauty of a drop of water on the floor, the majesty of a stone, and the faith of a hand placed on the Scriptures. “Into Great Silence” moves the viewer not so much into silence, but into the reality of God’s presence among us in so many ordinary and routine aspects of life. The film is also captivating in that one begins to realize you need not be a monk in a monastery in the Alps of France to discover the same experience of God: God’s presence is here for all of us. In great silence, or in the noise of daily life, we need to appreciate it. It is not the silence that is important, but the listening!

We are now in the period of the church’s liturgical year that might be fittingly described as “Into Great Silence.” It is the season of Advent, which is meant to be a quiet and reflective time of preparation to celebrate the birth of Christ. It is also the time to appreciate more fully that the Lord is already among us in our daily lives. He is here. Advent literally means arrival, for the Lord has come and comes each day into all the events and people we encounter. Advent should help us to be more alert to God’s coming now.

The movie “Into Great Silence” begins by focusing on the prophet Elijah’s search for the Lord in the wind, an earthquake and a fire, only to find him in a tiny whispering sound (1 Kgs 19:11-13). However, while God reveals himself to Elijah in a tiny whispering sound and not the wind, earthquake or fire, there are numerous times in the Old Testament where God reveals himself in these more extraordinary situations. The point of the passage about Elijah is not where God made his presence known, but that he makes himself known where we might least expect it. It is the search and alertness to God’s presence that matters.

As we journey through these Advent days, we need to take time to listen to the Lord and to appreciate his presence in our lives. Advent does move us “Into Great Silence.” However, Advent turns out to be for most of us a busy, if not hectic, time of preparation for Christmas. We are so busy sending cards, attending parties, buying gifts and decorating that it is very easy to lose sight of why we are doing all of these things. In addition, we have our daily lives and occupations to attend to, as well as the many other matters that may come our way.

We do need silence, but we cannot escape what is before us. We need to strike a very difficult balance. It is tempting to think that it would be easier to listen for God in a monastery where there are no distractions. However, even monks get attuned to their surroundings and have to be quite attentive to the silence which can become second nature. Indeed silence, not properly lived in, can become a distraction. The silence is not primary — the listening is. We need to use the distractions of this season to discover God in what is before us. St. Paul of the Cross gives us sound advice in his words: “Build a monastery in your heart. … This will not prevent you from giving full attention to your family and other responsibilities.”

Last year, at the beginning of Advent, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, emphasized the presence of God in our lives at the present moment. He called us to use Advent as time to become more aware of this reality for the entire year. His words, “Awaken! Remember that God comes! Not yesterday, not tomorrow, but today, now!” are good ones to keep before us during this hectic time of the year. As we move “Into Great Silence,” we need to listen to all the sounds around us to be alert to God’s coming now, at the present moment. Like Elijah, we may be surprised where he reveals himself. We need to build a monastery in our hearts, which we take with us to encounter the presence of God wherever we may be.

Two sacraments that help us “Into Great Silence” are the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation. Nothing is more ordinary than bread and wine, yet they become the body and blood of Christ. The sacrament of reconciliation is a quiet moment, and yet God’s love is most clearly revealed and expressed in his mercy which we all need to experience. These sacraments continually help us to be alert to God’s presence in our lives.

As we move farther into the season of Advent, “Into Great Silence,” may it be a time that helps us to listen for God who is all around us. Being alert, wherever we may be, is essential. A blessed Advent to all!

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