From Silence to Silence: An Abbot's Direction on the Interior Life

In From Silence to Silence: A Benedictine Pilgrimage to God’s Sanctuary, Fr. Francis Bethel, OSB, a Benedictine monk from Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey in Oklahoma, draws from the centuries-old monastic tradition of prayer and his own personal experience to provide a spiritual guide for Catholics who want to silence the distracting noise of this fallen world to hear more clearly the quiet or “silent” voice of God. To understand and partake in the divine mysteries requires that we block out the cacophony of disruptions that plague our lives and separate us from God.

The modern world conspires against silent contemplation by drawing our attention away from God. In response, From Silence to Silence helps readers first establish an interior silence―what the author calls an “interior receptive calm” and then proceeds toward developing a relationship with God’s silence by meditating on several divine mysteries. Intended for both laity and religious, the book seeks to help readers foster a healthy prayer life. The essence of the spiritual life involves the exercise of the theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity. These are achieved by practicing the moral virtues which, in turn, help cultivate silence in the soul.

By removing the noise from their lives, exercising the moral virtues that are a prerequisite for the spiritual life, and cultivating a rich life of prayer, readers will be better able to nurture silence in their soul so that they can better believe, desire, and love God.