Crossing the Threshold of Christmas Hope through ‘Silence’ to ‘Holiness’…!

by Rev. Fr. Eymard Fernando

‘Silent Night…’

is surely one of the most famous and beloved Christmas carols in the world today. The title of this popular carol is not based on any expressed detail of the Christmas story found in the Holy Bible. We are never told that the night Jesus was born was silent. In fact, we have ample evidence to suggest otherwise. Childbirth is rarely a quiet affair. Newborn infants tend to cry when they are not sleeping. Sheep also might have made, at least, some noise at night. In addition to these, St. Luke correlates the date of the Nativity of Our Lord to a census (cf. Lk. 2:1-7). Also, a great company of the Heavenly Host singing ‘Glory to God in the highest…’ would surely have filled the countryside with thundering noise!

So then, why was the night of Christmas referred to as ‘silent’? We find a clue to Joseph Mohr the composer’s intention in the second phrase; ‘Holy Night’. In the presence of holiness, sometimes we are gripped by stunned silence! For example, in Habakkuk 2:20 we read,

“The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”

So, in the imagination of the composer of this carol, the night of Jesus’ birth was ‘silent’ because it was ‘holy’.

It was set apart from other nights because it was the unique night in history the Holy God was physically present on earth in human form.

God of Holiness is Often Known in His Silence

God sometimes remains silent, apparently indifferent to our situation, because He wants to open a path for entering our souls and thus lead us to holiness, making use of silence as a launching pad. Only then can we understand, for instance, His permitting St. Joseph suffer because of the uncertainty of Mother Mary’s unexpected pregnancy (cf. Mt.1:18-20), when He could have easily arranged things otherwise. God was preparing St. Joseph for something great. God never disturbs the joy of His children, unless to prepare them for a greater and surer joy!

In God, Silence Always has its Purpose

With His silence, God makes the faith and hope of His Own People mature and grow. He makes them new and with them He makes all things new!

God shows Himself to His People not only in the splendour of His light, but also in silence, quietness and tranquillity.

Prophet Elijah, when fleeing from Jezebel’s persecution, went to the holy mountain led by God. Hidden in a cave, the Prophet sees a violent wind, an earthquake and a fire. But God was not there. After the fire, the sacred author says that there was ‘a sound as of a soft breeze’. The Prophet then covers his face with his mantle and goes out to encounter God. And it was then that God spoke to him (cf. 1 Kings 19:9-18).

The Hebrew text literally says that Prophet Elijah heard ‘the sound or voice of a soft silence’ (דְּמָמָה – demamah in Hebrew). What was this still small voice? One way of looking at this voice is the set of words used to describe it – a low moan of a dove, something so small and it is like dust. They all give the idea of the speck of a sound, and if one is not listening or seeing intently, this voice can be missed or even it may go unnoticed. Thus, what this word really means is precisely silence. With this paradox, the sacred author implies that silence is not empty, but rather full of Divine presence, manifestation and action. Silence guards the mystery, the mystery of God. Sacred Scripture invites us to enter into this silence, if we really want to find God and experience Him in our lives.

Why does God keep silent at times? Sacred Scripture sometimes presents God’s silence and remoteness to us as a consequence of mankind’s infidelity.

In this way, sin is a veil that makes God opaque to us, that hinders our seeing Him; it is like a noise that makes His voice inaudible. But God waits patiently behind this screen that we put between Him and us watching for the right moment to seek us out anew.

Rather than God remaining silent, what often happens is that we do not let Him speak; that we do not listen to Him, because there is already too much hustle and bustle in our lives. There is not only physical deafness which to a great extent isolates man in social life, but also there is a hearing defect in relation to God, and we suffer it very much especially in this present time. We are simply no longer able to hear Him as too many diverse frequencies occupy our hearing. What is said about Him appears pre-scientific to us and no longer seems adequate for our times. With this hearing defect, or even with deafness towards God, naturally we also lose our ability to speak with Him or to Him. Nevertheless, in this way we lack a decisive perception. Our interior senses badly run the risk of atrophy. On lacking that perception, the radius of our relation with the reality in general becomes drastically and dangerously limited.

Each person’s daily experience also shows how our cry to receive a comforting response from God sometimes seems to confront an inner vacuum. God’s mercy, of which Sacred Scripture and Christian Tradition speak so much, can at times be difficult to perceive by someone who is going through painful situations marked by sickness, poverty, violence or injustice where prayers seem to elicit no response. Why then does God not answer our prayers?

God’s Silence Invites Us to Walk in the Way of Holiness…

God does answer our prayers. But sometimes, God is silent as we seemingly see in the time of this present pandemic situation.

As believers, we have all been there – or will be. We may earnestly seek God but, in return, only sense His silence. This silence on the part of God can be difficult, frustrating and even very excruciating for us at times!

The Holy Bible tells us the story of a man named Job who was well-acquainted with God’s silence. In his pain and suffering, he cried out to God. He asked for answers. He kept on asking for God’s intervention. But for the first 37 chapters of the Book of Job, his cries for God’s help and relief are met only with God’s deafening silence.

As Christians, we are not always going to hear God’s voice. When we are faced with such silence on the part of God, what must we do?

1. Examine Our Own Lives

We must begin by asking ourselves whether there is any unconfessed sin in our lives? We must make sure that nothing is blocking us from being able to hear God’s voice in our lives through our own conscience.

2. Accept God’s Authority

Recognize that God can be silent. There is no obligation for God to answer us or inform us or let us know everything.

3. Listen to What God is Saying

Although God may seem silent regarding a specific request or petition, remember that He is in a constant state of communication with us. In fact, it is possible that we already have an answer from God in His silence.

4. Recognize that Silence can be Intimate

Silence can also be a sign of God’s trust in us.

To Lazarus’ sisters Martha and Mary, Jesus’ silence could have been interpreted as neglect – that Jesus did not care about or want to help them (cf. Jn. 11:6).

This mirrors many of the emotions we feel when God does not immediately answer our cries for help.

But in Jesus’ silence, we, along with Martha and Mary, are drawn into a new closeness to God and understanding of His power in a better way. Four days after he died, Lazarus was raised from the dead by Jesus, showing His infinite power.

5. Keep on Talking to God

Just because God seems silent, it does not mean that we should doubt Him or stop praying.

God’s silence is not a license for us to turn away from Him. Instead, it is an invitation to press forward and seek Him even more diligently with unceasing faith and hope.

Through Silence to Holiness at this Christmas…!

But very often, our Christmas celebrations are anything but silent. Whether we are hearing choirs belting ‘Joy to the World…’ or the cacophony of crowds in shops and supermarkets or the joyful cries of children opening their presents, Christmas is hardly silent! Yet, if we take time to retreat from the commotion, if we sincerely allow ourselves to consider the Mystery of the Incarnation, if we imagine what it would have been like to join the shepherds at the manger, then perhaps we will hear in a new way the call to silence by Prophet Habakkuk.

How does one celebrate Christmas this year amidst the COVID-19 pandemic? This would probably be one in contemporary history when we are encouraged to celebrate the Christmas season in its essence, that is in its ‘silence’ and ‘holiness’.

With a focus on the COVID-19 virus, we are pre-occupied with guidelines on how to celebrate Christmas this year too – may be with only members of the family who are living in the same household, continuing to wear masks, observing social distancing, or washing hands frequently etc. We are being discouraged from visiting one another for our own mutual protection and safety. The usual Christmas glee and merriment that we have been accustomed to for years and years is not that possible and visible this year!

But, at the same time, our celebration of Christmas should not also be dampened by COVID-19! Let us spread more hope, peace, joy and love this season along with the true Spirit of Christmas!

This is where we are really reminded of the birth of Our Saviour in a context of true ‘silence’ and ‘holiness’. The Christmas story is one of silence and simplicity which leads us to understand the immensity of the holiness of God the Father in His Plan of Salvation for the sinful mankind. Our Lord and Saviour was born in a manger with His Mother and Foster Father only. His guests were a few shepherds, a few animals and the magi. It is a heart-warming reminder of the true reason of the grace-filled season!

Although this year too has been difficult for all of us, we still cling on to our Christian hope. Amidst all confusion and fear that the pandemic has brought for us, God is always with us, has always been and will always be, if we really understand the true meaning of His ‘silence’ and make it our own stepping stone towards the pathway to ‘holiness’!

Let us positively respond to God’s invitation to us this Christmas in the words of the Psalmist:

“Be still, and know that I am God”

(Ps. 46:10).