"Words often leave us with a sense of inner defeat. They can even create a sense of numbness and a feeling of being bogged down in swampy ground. Often they leave us in a slight depression, or in a fog that clouds the window of our mind. In short, words can give us the feeling of having stopped too long at one of the little villages that we pass on our journey, of having been motivated more by curiosity than by service. Words often make us forget that we are pilgrims called to invite others to join us on the journey. Peregrinatio est tacere. “To be silent keeps us pilgrims.” Henri Nouwen

Why is silence so hard for many people? Is it a fear of being alone? How often do we talk for the sake of talk, as a way of avoiding the awkwardness of silence? Yet, many times it is only in the inner silence of our hearts that we will be able to hear the gentle whisper of God's loving voice. But you may say, what if he doesn't speak? Even so, the grace of silence puts us in his presence, acknowledging our dependency upon him. He owes us nothing. We owe him everything, from existence, to redemption, to sanctification, to our inheritance.