S. Ioseph Sponsi B. Mariæ V. - Joseph the Silent

LESSON: St. Joseph, model of silence

You will often hear comparisons made between St. Joseph and the Old Testament patriarch of the same name. Beyond the fact that they share the same moniker, we see God communicating with them in dreams. The Patriarch Joseph receives symbolic dreams and is gifted by God with the ability to discern their meaning, as well as the meanings of the symbolic dreams of others. For St. Joseph, God sends an angel, whom tradition tells us is the Archangel Gabriel, to communicate directly with him in his dreams.

Both Josephs also use these heavenly dreams to save their families from destruction by bringing them to Egypt. The patriarch saves his family from famine and starvation, and the saint saves his family from the wrath of King Herod.

However, they differ significantly in one way. The Old Testament patriarch speaks quite frequently in the Book of Genesis, so much so that he evokes the anger and disdain of his brothers by recounting one of his dreams to them. The saint that we celebrate today, on the other hand, has no words recorded in the scriptures at all. He is silent, being remembered more for his actions than for anything he said.

It’s this quality of St. Joseph that I would like to focus on today: his silence, which enables him not only to hear and be attentive to divine communications but allows him to fulfill God’s will without delay and without a second thought. If we wish to emulate St. Joseph in his obedience to God, then we first have to imitate him in his silence.

All writers on the spiritual life uniformly recommend, indeed command, the practice of silence under penalty of total failure. Yet, despite this, perhaps no rule for spiritual advancement is more railed against by those who have not even mastered its rudiments than that of silence.

Even in the Old Testament, its value was known, taught, and practised. Holy Scripture warns us of the perils of the tongue, as the Book of Proverbs warns us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: they that love it, shall eat the fruits thereof.” (Pr 18:21). The New Testament is no less insistent on the matter when it says: "If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man.” (Jas 3:2). The same doctrine is inculcated in innumerable other places in the Sacred Scriptures.

EXPLANATION: Why silence?

Without question, all the great saints, mystics, and spiritual masters prescribe silence as a sure means to holiness. But why? What’s so special about silence?

It is important to understand that silence, like all the tools of the spiritual life, is not an end in itself. It is a means—a method for coming to know Christ. Silence is necessary because our intellects are wounded and fractured by the Fall. Communion with God our Creator once came naturally and easily, much like seeing or hearing does now. We were constantly aware of His presence. But now, sin has disrupted this communion and damaged our ability to know God at the deepest level of our being.

Our fractured intellect, once perfectly in control, is now a chaotic storm of thoughts, feelings and emotions—like a restless cloud of gnats on a hot summer night. Calming this spiritual and emotional storm is incredibly difficult, and the only way to achieve it is to face it head-on. This we can only do when we are quiet enough to hear just how chaotic our souls really are. Indeed, this can be frightening, and we’d rather not do it—but doing so is absolutely essential for spiritual progress.

Moreover, silence is necessary to hear the promptings of the Holy Ghost and to receive and preserve grace. God does not shout. He speaks quietly and softly, in a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-12). The promptings of the Holy Ghost are never heard in busyness and anxious activity but rather in stillness and quietness of the heart.

Silence, too, helps us to preserve the graces that God sends to us.  Scuba divers are careful and slow with their movements so as not to waste unnecessarily their precious reserves of oxygen. Likewise, holy souls speak speaking carefully and prudently to preserve their reservoir of grace.

IMPLICATION: The practice of silence

How, then, do we cultivate silence, especially when we live in the midst of the world with all of its noise? I would like to offer five practical suggestions to emulate the great and silent St. Joseph.

The first way to practice silence is to refrain from frivolous speech, realizing that, as Proverbs says, “when words are many, transgression is not lacking” (Proverbs 10:19). That is, don’t speak for speaking’s sake. Social media especially encourages wasted speech. If you’re tempted to engage in this kind of speech, avoid it. Speak only when you have something worthwhile to say.

Second, silence can be practiced by restraining our tongues when we desire to complain. Complaining is the opposite of gratitude and thanksgiving, and it is actually a sin. It is so easy to complain about a meal, a rude person, or the weather. But does this contribute to anyone’s well being? We should hold our tongues unless we have something praiseworthy to say.

Third, we can practice silence by refraining from sharing our opinions on every topic imaginable. Whenever a crisis emerges on the national or world stage, it seems that everyone everywhere immediately declares their infallible opinion on the matter. But the truth is, many of us do not understand these events very well at all, and the world does not need more opinions. We should keep our opinions to ourselves, and we will be considered the wiser for it.

Fourth, we can resist the urge to fill every spare moment with noise. If we are driving, we can try turning off the radio, music, or podcasts. If we are home, we can turn off the TV. We should avoid mindlessly checking our phones while in line or in spare moments. Life is full of moments where we can be silent. We must embrace them.

Finally, we can keep silent when we desire to criticize others. How easy it is to notice the faults of others! And it is even easier to repeat these faults, true or not, to others, tearing people and harming their reputations if only to make ourselves feel better. To keep silent when we feel the urge to criticize is difficult, but it is also life-giving.

As we celebrate the great and holy St. Joseph today, let us strive to emulate him by imitating one of his most notable characteristics, seeking to cultivate silence so that we, too, can hear the Word of God with clarity and obey it with fervour.