There was only one talk on Sunday afternoon (one of the speakers is unwell) and it was worth waiting for. Fr Mark Withoos, an Australian, spoke on 'ad audiendum silentium narrationis eius' (Ep 147): Silence and Liturgy in St. Augustine. I make the same provisos as on the previous posts.
For Augustine silence is a rich concept. Faithful to tradition Augustine has a great veneration for silence not merely as the absense of noise but the cultivation of an attitude, an attentiveness to the Lord who is speaking to us above all in His Mysteries. Silence makes possible our attention to the God who speaks to us through His self-revelation in history, through the Sabbath rest, and through the inward turning of the heart.
Our God is not averse to revealing or hiding Himself according to the needs of the soul. He reveals Himself through mystery and bids us to enter mystery not to understand but to engage with endless future opportunities for growth. He urges us to engage with this God who is in mystery and in silence to wage war on our vices.
The Augustine saw in the seventh day of the old dispensation, the Sabbath rest, an anticipation of Heaven while in the new dispensation, the eight day, a day outside time.
It is the humble attitude necessary for hearing the Lord interiorly.
1 comment:
Tom I have just 'joined' your blogs. I have no particular religious affinity at this time but do believe that having a period of silence each day enables me to get things in a proper focus and achieve a kind of peace within myself. I am, I must admit, fascinated about your way of life and the 'mystery' of faith especially the Catholic creed in which you 'believe' without recourse to reasoning or even emotions
Alan
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