THE WORD in the Silence

 

In silent night that is quiet and calm, the WORD OF GOD speaks, yet who hears Him?

In silent night that is dark and long, the LIGHT OF THE WORLD shines, yet who sees Him?

In silent night that is vulnerable to life and movements, the LIFE OF ALL COMES INTO EXISTENCE, yet who receives Him?

 

Yes, it is Christmas. Today God has spoken definitively in silence. The words of human and other creatures have noise, whereas the WORD of the creator has no noise, He communicates in silence. Silence is the language of God. Who can hear His silent voice? For who can grasp the meaning of His WORD? Who is able to sense His utterance? In the nativity scene we witness the great silence of Mother Mary and St. Joseph who have overcome with holy fear, reverence and awe at the sight of the great mystery that unfolds in their arms. The voice of God spoken concretely in baby Jesus evokes silence. On the contrary, the angels who constantly sing the praises of God in heaven enhance the silent voice of God through their choirs singing Gloria (Lk 2:13-14). Their singing too has silent voice as they could only be heard by shepherds and chosen ones in the crib.

On resurrection Sunday, the witnesses of the Risen Lord break out in loud noise in proclaiming the good news about eternal life of humans. Mary Magdalene runs to the apostles to tell about the resurrection of the Lord (Mt 28:8). The disciples on the way to Emmaus return to Jerusalem instantly at the identification of the Risen Lord at the breaking of the bread (Lk 24:33). St. Thomas asks for a personal encounter with the Risen Lord (Jn 20:25). That is Easter – filled with joyful noise and jubilant exclamation. Easter even terrifies Jewish leadership who try to silence the proclamation of the resurrection (Mt 28:11-15). But tonight, we are invited to remain silent; no noise, just hear the silent voice of God that speaks from the manger.

On Christmas night the shepherds come to adore the Lord but when they return to their place they remain quiet about this event. Magi make noise about the star of the Messiah. They enquire King Herod about the birth of the divine child in his kingdom (Mt 2:2). Once, they pay their homage to baby Jesus they go away in silence without making any notifications to King Herod (Mt 2:12). People who made noise by saying that there is no place for Mary and Joseph in their inn lost the possibility of seeing this great mystery. Caesar Augustus who desired to show off his strength and the vastness of his empire through census is defeated by the silent entry of the King of Kings into world as baby boy. The noisy people and the proud who are preoccupied with maintaining their high status in the empire miss the voice of God spoken in silence. Usually, the birth of a child is a noisy event. If so where are the owner and immediate neighbours of the crib? They are not found in the crib. Rather, the countryside shepherds and magi from farthest away get the chance to hear the voice of God in the crib. What can we make out from this contradictory event? The mystics in the Catholic Church say that they find no words to describe their highest divine experience. They remain silent. No language has adequate vocabularies to assist mystics in enumerating their deep divine experience. This is what happens tonight. Mary and Joseph remain silent. They are the first mystics in the Catholic Church to have the highest and the deepest divine experience. The fullness of God revealed in helpless babe in their arms shuts their mouth from utterance. Indeed Mary and Joseph remain silent at the information provided by shepherds with regard to angels’ appearance to them (Lk 2:17). Mary treasures all these things and ponders over it in her heart (Lk 2:19).         

Mary and Joseph are on a long journey to enrol their names in census. They are disappointed by lack of space in the inn. Amidst this darkness and suffering the light is shown to them. Christmas is about encountering the Lord as light in the darkness of our life. St. John says; “in him [Jesus] was life” (Jn 1:4). All creatures come into existence and retain that life for eternity only through Him. Without Him no life is possible; be it a temporary or eternal. The virginal married life between Mary and Joseph became possible because of baby Jesus (Lk 1:37).  

Tonight the creator has taken the form of a creature. It is possible for the highest being to take the form of a being that is lower than itself. Yet, is that desirable? Do we desire to be like animals and plants – beings lower than us? Nevertheless, God has done this. To us it is a mystery, for Him it is a humility. To comprehend this, silence is the best way. The spirituality of silence begins from being with Mary and Joseph at the crib with holy awe. Pope Francis says that Christmas without Christ is not Christmas. Today we exchange our Christmas wishes with our noisy words. That’s fine, Christmas is an opportunity to come together. Besides these jubilations it is a day to spend time in front of the crib in silence. St. John of the Cross says, “our greatest need is to be silent before this great God”. Yes, we need silence to comprehend the great mystery of Incarnation. We need silence to sense divinity in our humanity which the Incarnation of the Lord opens up.

Silence is a profound space for encountering God. In the stillness, we listen not only with our ears but with our hearts, opening ourselves to the whispers of God. Through silence, we find a space for reflection, prayer, and communion with God. It is in the quiet moments that our souls can discern the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit, fostering a deeper connection with God and a greater understanding of our faith. In the hush of contemplation, we may discover that silence is not merely the absence of noise but a sacred language, a way for our spirits to converse with God in humility and reverence. May this Christmas be such a one for all of us.

Merry Christmas to you all!   

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