"Have you ever listened to silence?" asked our director at the theater studio where I used to attend as a child. I was around ten years old.
And so, we decided to listen to this silence. We froze for a minute.
Evening. School. The sounds of tired footsteps of teachers lingering after classes. The sound of a mop cleaning the floor. The ringing or hissing of overhead lights. And then silence. Just silence.
Recently, I listened to audio talks by Bishop Antony of Surazh with parishioners. He spoke about the importance of not disturbing each other in church when someone is silent, immersed in silence. It's a crucial moment. A moment of introspection, reflection, prayer. At the end of the lecture, he suggested, "Let's be silent." And I, along with the bishop and his flock, fell silent.
As a child, listening to silence was intriguing. But now?
Now, in adulthood, it's like a sip of water, like tranquility, like exhaling fatigue, like sweetness.
Now, as a believer, in silence, I don't hear the sounds of the world; I listen, I want to hear God. I pray silently. It seems like we're both silent.
How necessary it is. How rare it is. Just to pause and listen to the silence, and in it — the presence of the Lord.
Original article: https://radiovera.ru/tishina-natalija-langammer.html
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Living Words
Natalia Langammer
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