Silence
The silence we value is a deep stillness of heart and mind. Friends dwell in silence on many occasions. We provide for silence at weddings and memorials and at meetings for worship. Committee meetings open with silence, and silent grace quiets the heart before meals. These shared silences foster unity and charity among us.
Regular times for silence and retreat seem essential for spiritual growth.
Quotations
The discipline of silence and openness must be practiced over and over, day after day, week after week, alone and with others. The Light nurtures a Seed in us but to grow, that Seed must be repeatedly exposed to the Light.
~Robert Griswold, 2010
Advices & Queries
We value silence, not as an end but as a means toward the end, which is communication with the Divine and fellowship with one another.
- Do we seek to be formed by a living silence?
- Do we set aside times of quiet for openness to the Spirit?
- How do we bring stillness into our daily lives?
- How are our lives shaped by the practice of stillness?
Faith and Practice, NPYM, Religious Society of Friends. P. 32-35.