Coming out of the Carlo Acutis movie recently, I was reminded again of how essential silence is in deepening a life of prayer and relationship with the Lord. Carlo, the first millennial saint, lived in a world full of noise and distractions that make it hard to be present to ourselves, to others, and especially to God. Yet he made time for silence and prayer every day. We all need to practice silence and to allow space for the contemplation of the mysteries of God, so that, filled with awe and wonder, we can joyfully proclaim God’s love to the world.
When we allow too much noise and distraction in our lives, our most important relationships suffer. Intimacy requires listening with full attention. This can be so hard! I know how heartbroken I feel when one of my children tries to share a story with me full of joy and excitement, and I momentarily glance at my phone, only to look up and see the joy fade from their face as they say, “Never mind,” and walk away. Sherry Turkle shared evidence in her book, Reclaiming Conversation, that the mere presence of a phone will keep a conversation at a surface level. Neither person dared to speak from the heart due to the potential of the other’s attention being pulled away at the moment they were about to risk vulnerability.
A need for our full attentiveness is not only true in our human relationships, but even more so in our relationship with God, the eternal I AM, who is only to be found in the present moment, right where we are. Our constant distractions pull our minds in all directions, which prevents us from being truly present to God, who waits for us in the silence. One of my favorite books to share with my students is Listening for God: Silence Practice for Little Ones, which relays the story of the prophet Elijah discovering God in the still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12). We need silence so that we can hear God’s voice in our hearts.
I recently completed my training in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS), our religious education curriculum in the Early Learning Program at St. Benedict Classical Academy. The catechist is encouraged to “count her words” and to be a co-listener and co-wonderer with the child. Silence in the Atrium is to be expected, respected, and accepted. We are not to fill the silence with our words, but rather we are to encourage silent prayer and contemplation of the mysteries of God. Each lesson in the Atrium is centered on the Mass and sacred scripture. Most lessons are presented one-on-one with a child, allowing them an opportunity for their own silent reflection and encounter with Christ, the true teacher. To close the lesson, we invite the child to say something back to God in response or to sing a song of praise and thanksgiving.
In the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, as in all Montessori programs, we are taught to “follow the child”. Children have profound lives of faith and trust in the Lord. Following the child helps us adults remember how to slow down, to be filled with wonder, and to rejoice in the Lord and His many gifts. Our Lord asks us to “turn and become like children” (Mt 18:3).
In The Power of Silence, Robert Cardinal Sarah quotes St. John Paul II, who reminds us to turn to the example of our Blessed Mother. He says, “Mary’s example enables the church to better appreciate the value of silence… It is this silence as acceptance of the Word, this ability to mediate on the mystery of Christ, that Mary passes on to believers. In a noisy world filled with messages of all kinds, her witness enables us to appreciate a spiritually rich silence and fosters a contemplative spirit.”
May the example of the Blessed Mother help us to create silence in our lives and to listen to God’s still small voice, which proclaims, “You are My beloved child, and I love you!” Let us turn to Our Lady for help in this heroic endeavor to create silence in our noisy world, as we pray every morning in our classrooms, “Holy Mary, our hope, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us!”
AUTHOR: Tara Rohatgi, Early Learning Assistant Teacher
