Silence is Refreshing and Healing
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

COVID19 gradually crept into our lives beginning in March 2020. I watched more TV, used my smart-phone more often and also spent time to enjoy simple silence. Silence is prayer, reflection, meditation, and contemplation; silence is the presence of God in my life, because I’m not distracted when I enjoy the silence. We are able to experience His presence in a new way even though He really was there all along. The Silence has sharpened our minds as we see Him more clearly. I have written a lot about “Silence” as a subject, but I find these Reflections all more or less say the same thing: Silence is a path to God.

Silence is a great healer. In Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations; I am exalted in the earth!” In the silence of that Scripture, we find out what it all means. In the silence we hear the voice of God! Sometimes when we do finally hear the voice of God, and listen, we hear Him calling. We know He searches us out. He loves us so deeply and we never realized it. People search for silence, for order. That and an immense love of God and for God, brings people to join monastic orders. There is the silence which will become your friend to increase and intensify that relationship with Jesus, with Mary and all the Saints. But monastic life is tough. It takes real men and women, strong people, to succeed. It takes people who have a high self-esteem and the maturity to carry out such a mission in the long term and who are able to stick it out. I am particularly thinking of monastic orders such as the Trappists, the Cistercians, Benedictines, and the like. That's a vocation of immense love. These people know how to handle silence and to use it well.

I was a cloistered monk from 1998 to 2002 (total almost 5 years) with two years prior to that in religious life but not cloistered. There were insufficient monks in this Order and the Bishop closed us down. This was unfortunate, since I was too old to begin again in a different cloistered community. I was convinced that is where God wanted me to be. Apparently not! The year 2002 was also a year of great upheaval in the Church with scandals etc., fortunately those were not an issue in my situation.

I returned to the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS), in which I made profession in 1994. I miss the silence as there are way too many distractions even living alone. I do my best to stay close to Our Lord in deed and in prayer. I make a great effort to live in Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. Vows are not necessary in the OFS. We make Promises, but there’s not much difference in my mind. I did make a private Vow of Chastity along the way because I had a strong desire to please Our Lord. About 23 years ago, I participated in a self-directed retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemane of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists), in Kentucky. It was an unforgettable experience but probably for all the wrong reasons. I found that type of monastic life very strenuous because that particular week in January, it was bone cold. Temperatures hovered between zero and eight degrees Fahrenheit, and of course, it was much colder when the wind blew. We were directed to take long walks in the countryside to get some exercise. I remember one morning that it was bitter out there and I felt totally alone. But in my silence and the total silence around me, I prayed the Our Father (with teeth shattering) … and really thought about the words. These are words from the lips of Jesus, himself! It was His prayer to the Father. Somehow after that, my anxiety about the cold was forgotten. Silence makes the hidden stand out. Silence brings the voice of Jesus and we hear Him and bask in His Presence.

What do the rest of us know about silence? At Holy Mass, the priest often sits down after Holy Communion to make a silent Thanksgiving. We should too, before we head out into the world. When he sits there just a bit longer than he normally does, people in the congregation begin to fidget. We are so time-oriented; don't we have one extra moment of silence for Jesus? Our response to God is so limited, so uninterested sometimes. He ought to be at the center of our lives, but He often isn't. We run around every day for this cause or that project but do we make time for God? I don't know about you, but I know I need to be with Him more often. What would Jesus do? What should I do to emulate Him? Does His example show in my actions? Well, not always.

Saint Francis also did well with silence. If he did not possess an interior silence, he would have never talked to the birds! That simply wouldn’t have happened. It was in the interior silence of his soul that Francis found that unique relationship with Jesus where Francis was allowed to suffer the wounds of Christ on his hands, feet and side. Those were not decorations, they were real, bleeding wounds and there was no question that they hurt terribly, but Francis was not one to complain. But even Francis had his lighter moments with his brother friars.

Something just crossed my mind: there are special moments in nature, when there is a natural silence and animals are quiet and more approachable. That is the time just after a real dense fog. That's of course not a good place to be in a car, but I love walking on a field path in fog, and have done so in Europe and in USA on vacations or at retreats. The aforementioned Trappists come to mind again. In fog or in snow, birds, deer, and other critters sort of slow down. They are probably disoriented. I've stood 5-6 feet away from a deer in fog and we all stood still and contemplated each other, me trying to be perfectly still as I enjoyed their unique company. Birds too, I remember years and years ago when I was on a small island in the fog in the breeding season and I heard some rustling in the grass, not far from where I stood, and in my amazement saw 2-3 tiny birds hatch, fluff their tiny feathers and fly off all within a few minutes. It was miraculous and I will never forget it. This was a nest of a Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres), a shorebird that is known to fledge very quickly after hatching. Because of the fog, I was able to approach the nest without scaring the birds. And even though this was 50+ years ago, I remember thanking God for the gift of this delicate balance of nature. The location was at Great Gull Island (NY), an island at that time leased by the American Museum of Natural History and used for Ornithological research.

For 23 years (approx. 1965-1988), I “banded” birds. I was involved in a program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (at that time), identifying birds, usually caught in special nets, for a long time in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia, and shorter periods in Florida (too hot). Although I was usually with other people doing this, I also was often alone, and during those sessions I was experiencing heavenly silence, just enjoying nature and the sounds of birds all around me. I did this banding on weekends and days off because I also managed to work 40-hours a week. So by the time I was “in the field,” I was ecstatic with the silence! Our prayer life intertwines in and out of everything we do. We feel God's presence in our lives when we accept Him as a partner in everything we undertake and especially if we know that without His presence there's little that will go right.

When you feel isolated, alone, even bored, turn to Him and let Him in. You will not feel isolated, bored or alone anymore. Being bored or idle is the devil's head cushion. The devil takes a hold of us when we feel vulnerable and hurt. That's the time to dwell on the goodness of God and to tell the devil to go back where he belongs. Never, ever, muddle the differences between right and wrong. Never say "God understands me" and then do what is wrong. God does not condone evil. He only wishes happiness for us. God's dearest wish is that we will be spending all eternity with Him. We can, you know, if we listen to His Word and then act on that Word. Follow the teaching of Jesus Christ. Immerse yourself in things that are good. Shun evil, do not be tempted by it. It will only bring ruin.

After the COVID19 began, the same month of March, we celebrated the Solemnity of St. Joseph, that most diligent protector of the infant Jesus and His mother, Mary. We refer to Jesus, Mary and Joseph, as the Holy Family. They had family values that were powerful. They loved one another in a way many families don't. I pray for families that are torn apart by crime, drugs, abuse, strife, etc., where Mom and Dad do not talk anymore, but instead scream at each other. Why should the kids cower under the strain of hearing Mom and Dad enact World War III in their homes when there are other ways? Children are affected for life under those conditions. Repent and turn back to God, a God who is merciful and forgiving. Ask the Holy Family to help.

Silence: "for God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. He only, is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.” (Ps. 62) A moment of silence, please, for Jesus Our Lord!

May He richly bless you this and every day!

Fred S. Schaeffer, OFS
September 8, 2020 

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