CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SIX
When there is so much writing and talking today about silence—such idealization of solitude and romantic talk of the desert—I have to confess that to read what Benedict has to say about keeping silent seems at first a grave disappointment. But if I am to fully appreciate what Benedict expects of silence, and understand why he sees it as so formative, I need to keep in mind what he is saying about it elsewhere in the Rule. In chapter 38
(5-9) he speaks of silence in relationship to the Word, and in chapter 52, in relationship to prayer, the keeping of silence after the divine office so that those who remain can pray over the Word.
There is thus a connection between silence and God's revelation in the Word. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, ''We keep silence solely for the sake of the Word, and therefore not in order to show disregard for the Word but rather to honour and receive it."'
This chapter might seem to open with entirely negative reasons for silence unless I keep in mind the important distinction between faciturnitas (used in verses 2 and 3), which simply means not speaking, and silentium, which is the wider understanding of being still and silent. The first quotation, from Psalm 38 (39), gives the motivation for guarding one's tongue as the avoidance
. of sin through evil speech (2), and again in verses 4 and 5 the emphasis is on restraint of speech in order to avoid sin. So I am brought back once again to the fear of the Lord always present in judgment, an idea that has come up earlier in the prologue in verses 17 and 25-26 where Benedict has given the desire for eternal life as the motivation for the guarding of the tongue.
In verse 5 he does not mince his own words when quoting from Proverbs:
'"'The tongue holds the key to life and death.'' The passage from which this phrase is taken suggests that anyone who loves words will tend to let themselves be satisfied by them, and 4]
as a result stop short of true satisfaction. For true satisfaction— and here at last in the following verse comes "the moment that I have been waiting for—comes when I am silent and listen. Finally, we are told why silence is so important. As soon as I read this it takes me at once back to the opening words of the Rule and to the need to listen. Benedict's spirituality, if I were to re-# duce it to one single concept, is that of listening to the voice of God i in my life. When God's voice is drowned out by incessant "clamor, whether inner or outer, in whatever shape or form, then _ continuous dialogue with God becomes impossible. An inner
'monologue with myself, constant chatter with others, the invasion of the spoken word through the press and television are all the "ever-present realities in my daily life over which I need to exercise some sort of discipline if I am to keep any quiet inner space in which to listen to the Word. This is the stillness of heart, the _ guarding of the heart, which touches the very deepest levels of my consciousness.
Benedict does not so often use the word discipulus as frater (thirteen times compared with 102), for he prefers to address us as sons or daughters rather than as pupils or students. It is, therefore, more significant that it should come in this chapter, and I take it to mean that he is treating me as someone who needs to learn. Silence is a working tool that I need if I am to listen and to learn. So if I am being addressed as disciple, I must examine very seriously the issues that Benedict is raising in this chapter. Benedict gives me not so much speculation or theological discussion about the role of silence, rather he is insisting that to hear the Word, which is both the means and the end of the Christian life, we must be able to hold on to silence in the face of both the internal and the external threats.
The title usually given to this chapter is ''restraint of speech,"' and restraint must be one of the most neglected virtues at the moment. To be asked to take it seriously will therefore be something of a challenge. Benedict has no illusions about the harm that I\-~ can do with my tongue, whether it is grumbling, gossip, the wrong sort of laughter, the easy dismissing of another. Spoken words are a reflection of what is going on in my heart, and an uncleansed_ heart can be a dangerous and destructive thing. In the final verse of the chapter, he totally and absolutely condemns loose talk and idle words. The English translation does not bring out the force of the Latin, for aeterna clausura carries the image of enclosure,
so that the mouth is like the door of an inner cloister and Bene-,~ dict wants that door shut, closed to certain kinds of speaking.
It is quite clear that silence was not total in Benedict's monastery. It is clear that there was normal social conversation between the brethren (see 26,1-2 for example). In 67,5-6 it is taken for granted that a brother who has been out has occasion to recount his experiences. In chapter 68 we see the proper place for discussion between a monk and the superior, and this discussion is very carefully described: patiently, at the right moment, without pride or obstinacy. It is clear that Benedict is trying to help us with the, discipline of how to handle speech and is looking at the right, gentle, positive way of breaking silence. Speaking is something + that must be undertaken reverently and responsibly. If I reflect on what he is saying, I find guidelines for my own situation. This | is not a call for absolute silence (silence can a after all become an | instrument of the passive aggressive, and it can be isolating, hurt-| ful), but for a restrained, disciplined, and thoughtful approach ad to speech.