Saint Benedict on Silence

Happy Feast of Saint Benedict! Although it no longer appears on the Universal (Roman) calendar, today is one of two feasts of Saint Benedict of Norcia celebrated by Benedictines throughout the world.

This feast is sometimes called the Transitus of Saint Benedict, for it is the day in the year 547 when this great saint died.

Saint Benedict is generally considered the founder of western monasticism, and his Holy Rule spread throughout the west as the Roman Empire was collapsing. Pope Pius XII of blessed memory lauded him, for in the perilous times that followed Rome’s fall, it was Benedictine monks who preserved the ancient learning.

It was for this reason that Pope Saint Paul VI proclaimed him a patron saint of Europe.

In today’s reading of Chapter 42 from the Holy Rule, Saint Benedict talks about silence.

Chapter XLII: That No One Speak after Compline

Monks should always be given to silence, especially, however, during the hours of the night. Therefore, on every day, whether of fast or of a mid-day meal, as soon as they have risen from their evening meal, let all sit together in one place, and let one read the Conferences or the Lives of the Fathers, or something else that will edify the hearers; not, however, the Heptateuch or the Books of the Kings, because it would not be wholesome for weak minds to hear this part of the Scripture at that hour; they should, however, be read at other times. But if it was a fast-day, then, when Vespers have been said, and after a short interval, let them next come together for the reading of the Conferences, as we have said; and when the four or five pages have been read, or as much as the hour will permit, and all have assembled in one place during the time of the reading, let him also come who was perchance engaged in work enjoined on him. All, therefore, having assembled in one place, let them say Compline, and after going out from Compline, let there be no more permission from that time on for anyone to say anything.

Following Compline, night prayer, the monks are to observe absolute silence. Even during meal times or whenever the monks are gathered, they are to refrain from speech and listen. This echoes the very first word of the Holy Rule, which begins thus:

LISTEN, O my son, to the precepts of thy master, and incline the ear of thy heart, and cheerfully receive and faithfully execute the admonitions of thy loving Father…

For how can we listen to others, much less to the quiet promptings of the Lord, if we are constantly speaking, or engaged in activity, or just plain making noise? Particularly in this holy season of Lent, as we turn again to the Lord, we should cultivate the habit of silence. For the Lord is not found in the storm, or the earthquake, or the conflagration, but in a still small voice (1 Kings 19:11-12).

Back in 2012, Pope Benedict XVI gave a catechesis on silence that is well worth rereading. In it, he quotes from the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini, saying:

The interplay of word and silence that marks the prayer of Jesus during his entire earthly life — especially on the cross — also touches our own lives of prayer, in two ways. The first concerns our welcoming of God’s Word. Interior and exterior silence are necessary in order that this word may be heard.

And this is especially difficult in our own day. In fact, ours is not an age which fosters recollection; indeed, at times one has the impression that people have a fear of detaching themselves, even for a moment, from the barrage of words and images that mark and fill our days.

For this reason, in… Verbum Domini, I recalled the necessity of our being educated in the value of silence: “Rediscovering the centrality of God’s word in the life of the Church also means rediscovering a sense of recollection and inner repose. The great patristic tradition teaches us that the mysteries of Christ all involve silence. Only in silence can the word of God find a home in us, as it did in Mary, woman of the word and, inseparably, woman of silence”.

Saint Joseph, too, is sometimes called “the silent man”, as scripture records none of his words. Well, that’s not quite true, as somebody reminded me yesterday. The Gospels do in fact record one word that Saint Joseph said, the name of his son, The Son (cf. Matthew 1:25). And if we’re going to say just one word, it ought to be the Word.

The reason often given for moving today’s feast of Saint Benedict is that it always occurs during Lent, and that this prevents more people from celebrating this great saint. For me, I’m not sure there’s a better way to celebrate the father of monasticism than by truly living our Lent. As he himself says in chapter 49 of the Holy Rule:

The life of a monk ought always to be a Lenten observance. However, since such virtue is that of few, we advise that during these days of Lent he guard his life with all purity and at the same time wash away during these holy days all the shortcomings of other times.

And how do we better live our Lent? By turning towards the Lord. By listening. By silence.