“I have discovered that all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their own chamber.”[1] A man sits alone in a room. The room is utterly void of noise, for it has reached an equilibrium of serenity and peace. This tranquility does not last, though, for the man immediately invites the world in. His thoughts dart to the news headlines and the most recent incident that is catching everyone’s attention. Like a frog, his mind hops to the next lily pad of concern. This time it is restlessness about an assignment to be graded, followed by a regret of the past and then succeeded by excitement about a weekend plan. Each time that his mind weighs down too heavily on a lily pad of a thought, it hops to the next one in a seemingly never-ending cycle. Overwhelmed, the man pulls out his phone and permits his thumb to dictate what new information should pile into his conscience. After what seems like a minute, he checks the time and realizes 30 minutes have passed. No longer able to remain in the room, he bolts out of the door to be consumed by the world around him. The room, like his mind, was once a place of renowned repose. Now, it is a space engulfed by the murky cloud of noise. This man is not just an abstract example in our world today. He is me. He is you.
The aforementioned quote describing the example of the man who lunges for the noise appears as if it was only spoken yesterday. The quote itself originates from the pen of 17th century philosopher Blaise Pascal. He succinctly speaks about a dilemma that was an issue four hundred years ago, and one that has been prevalent throughout history. Unfortunately, this quote is equally applicable today, if not substantially more. The current world is more than ever filled with such immense noise. This is not just the noise that enters into the ear, but the noise that lingers in the mind and heart. It is the information that flows across easily accessible devices, the concerns about actions of powerful societal figures, the uncertainty about our own future, the world we will inherit, the purpose of our lives. It is everywhere, and, like a false sense of comfort, it lures us in and manifests itself to be normal in our lives. Is this truly what we were designed to live in? Are we truly joyful in this state? While the alternative of silence seems abstract and unnatural, it is what we must pursue. As Saint Teresa of Calcutta remarked, “We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness.” Is it not the deepest longing of our hearts to be united to Him Who loves, knows, and made us? With the help of contemporary figures, such as Cardinal Robert Sarah, the saints, Mary, and Our Lord, we can make this journey to silence to find God. They will show us that it is possible to find silence in the boisterous activity of the world, but we must be willing to take the first step. While we may grow troubled or uncomfortable by exiting the steady flow of noise, let us remember the words of Jesus amid the storm: “Take courage, it is I: Do not be afraid.”[2]
In his book The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise, Cardinal Robert Sarah eloquently and in a straightforward manner addresses the problem at hand. It is not just a problem, but a “dictatorship” that is ruling over our lives. Instead of protesting this domineering reign, Sarah argues that we become complacent with the noise, for it is “like a drug on which he [man] has become dependent.”[3] Due to this massive reliance on noise, silence is opposed for being outside of the social norm and viewed in a contemptible manner. Yet, as Sarah defends, the silence is necessary to find God. To reinforce Mother Teresa, Sarah states, “There is one great question: how can man really be in the image of God? He must enter into silence.”[4] Before continuing, we must distinguish the two types of silences that we are going to seek. These are exterior and interior silence, with exterior being solitude and removal from external noises and interior being the taming of the heart and its wild passions to enter into a resting state. We will start with the more controllable of the two — external silence — before moving towards the internal depths of the heart where one can find God.
In starting with exterior silence, Cardinal Sarah immediately notifies us of the obvious: it feels impossible to find external silence. Technology, work, and cities are just a few examples listed that makes silence seem like “an unreachable oasis.”[5] However, there is always an area for external silence, which can either be sought out or made into a silent space by our efforts. Our Lord gives us the perfect example of seeking out a silent space in all the Gospels. After the feeding of the five thousand and the wonder that filled the air, it states, “He went off to the mountain to pray.”[6] This seemingly simple verse possesses such a deep meaning and equally pertains to our lives. While we may not have a mountain to retreat to, there is always somewhere to retreat to recompose ourselves. Whether this is a bedroom, chapel, or a spot in nature, it is possible to find this space. If it is exhausting to find a place, like Cardinal Sarah mentioned earlier, then we can make a place silent instead. If there is something creating noise, like a TV or music, then it can be easily muted. While it may be difficult if we are accustomed to those constant sounds, we must have the courage to take that step into the uncomfortable. The process is not meant to be easy but instead challenging, one that requires our own effort to seek out God. And if we are afraid that leaving the noise will not help us find God, the First Book of Kings should ease our worries: “After the earthquake, fire – but the Lord was not in the fire; after the fire, a light silent sound.”[7]
Following the exterior silence, we reach the interior struggle of our lives. While we have greater control over the external parts of our body in terms of vision, hearing, and placement, Sarah asserts that “we have less control over our heart.”[8] And this is not the physical heart, but instead the innermost core of ourselves. It is everything about us that is combined into this identity of the heart, which is exactly why we can be so hesitant to deal with it. As Sarah states, “Too few Christians today are willing to go back inside themselves so as to look at themselves and to let God look at them.”[9] This inability to look inward applies to all people, as our hearts are so messy with faults, thoughts, passions, regrets, and everything else that can make interior peace seem like a folly. Are we to become hopeless, though? With all our troubles, God provides a solution. While we sometimes have to search for it deeply, the answer can often lie right in front of us.
To strive for interior silence, there are a wealth of saints that have written extensively about interior silence and have lived it out to an incredible extent. Yet, who is a better example to look towards interior silence than the Mother of our Lord, Mary? As our Mother too, she can teach us the way of interior silence not so much in words, but rather in virtuous action. In the Gospel of Luke, there are two instances of this that can easily be missed when focusing on the grander events of the Nativity and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple. Amidst the joy of the shepherds and finding Jesus after being separated for three days, Mary is said to have “kept these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”[10] Instead of becoming caught up in the noise, Mary slowed down her heart and pondered the events in all their complexity. This beautiful verse details what we need to do within our own hearts. To ponder, one must contemplate an event deeply without chasing distractions or other thoughts. Nevertheless, our hearts must be in a certain state to ponder. Despite our best intentions, if our hearts are not fully committed to contemplation, we will not be able to reach that interior silence. With abounding joy, we turn towards Mary again for two virtues that Cardinal Sarah stresses to be in our hearts: Humility and Love. Humility is the foundation for allowing love to grow, as it is the silent act of saying yes to the Lord. Instead of pursuing our own thoughts and ambitions, it is saying, “Thy will be done.”[11] The love that develops in our humble hearts is one that recognizes that God alone satisfies our hearts. This love, “that says nothing and asks for nothing leads to the greatest love, the silent love of God.”[12] Mary exemplifies both humility and love in perfection. As Pope St. John Paul II writes, “It is this silence as acceptance of the Word, this ability to meditate on the mystery of Christ, that Mary passes on to believers.”[13] Therefore, to enter into this interior silence, we must unfailingly ask for Mary’s intercession to help increase in us love and humility to ponder as the Lord wills for us.
Now with these two silences learned, everything will go smoothly, right? Unfortunately, no. As human beings, we will constantly fall back into noise as residents of a world of noise. Obviously, we cannot retreat into the silence forever, or that would cause complications with our lives. However, we can make a true effort to seek the silence, especially during this Lent. It does not have to be for a long period of time initially, for even a minute of living in the silence is a great accomplishment. Living in silence is a gradual progress that takes time and effort on our part to grow closer to the Lord and separate ourselves from the false security of noise. And the silence we seek is not one of complete nothingness necessarily. Instead, it is the opportunity to enter into dialogue with the Lord throughout our day. Whether it is by expressing gratitude, pondering upon an event, softly speaking or having a listening heart,[14] the silence of the environment and of our hearts allows us to grow closer to the Lord. As Venerable Fulton J. Sheen said, “Prayer begins by talking to God, but it ends by listening to Him. In the face of Absolute Truth, silence is the soul’s language.” It is this relationship through prayer that humbly asks the Lord to help us to repel the difficulties of life[15] and keep Him at the center through the storm of noise. In bringing our hearts closer to His, let us remember the words of Cardinal Robert Sarah and the examples of the saints, Mary, and Our Lord Himself. For it is not a journey that we can do alone, but instead one that we will do with the Lord of love and mercy. Let us never be afraid to seek the silence of the heart to find where the Lord so patiently dwells. Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like unto Thine!
[1] Blaise Pascal. Pensées, Section II, 139
[2] Matthew 14:27, New American Bible (NAB)
[3] Robert Cardinal Sarah and Nicolas Diat. The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise, Section I, 21
[4] ibid, 1
[5] ibid, 21
[6] Matthew 14:23; cf. Mark 7:46, John 6:15
[7] 1 Kings 19:12
[8] The Power of Silence, Section I, 48
[9] ibid, 76
[10] Luke 2:19, 51
[11] Matthew 6:10, Douay-Rheims Bible
[12] The Power of Silence, Section I, 99
[13] John Paul II. General Audience of November 22, 1995
[14] 1 Kings 3:9
[15] The Power of Silence, Section IV, 281.
This is the third article in our 2026 Spring Article Series, a series of articles by guest writers in and around our Mount community. New articles are released every other Monday throughout the spring semester.
