杏MAP导航

By Christopher Wells

鈥淪t Joseph with his silence invites us to make room for the Presence of the Word made flesh, for Jesus,鈥� 杏MAP导航 Francis said at the weekly .

Silence full of listening

However, the 杏MAP导航 continued, 鈥淛oseph鈥檚 silence is not muteness,鈥� but is instead 鈥渁 silence full of listening, an industrious silence, a silence that bring out his great interiority.鈥� Quoting St John of the Cross, the Holy Father explained that God the Father spoke the Word, His Son, in eternal silence 鈥渁nd in silence it must be heard by the soul.鈥�

In his earthly life, Jesus, too, had this experience of silence, 鈥渨ith the daily example of Mary and Joseph.鈥� 杏MAP导航 Francis noted that 鈥淗e Himself sought spaces of silence鈥� and invited His disciples to have such an experience" as well.

The contemplative dimension of life

The Holy Father emphasized the importance of following St Joseph鈥檚 example 鈥渋n recovering this contemplative dimension of life opened wide by silence,鈥� but noted that it is not easy. Silence, he said, can be frightening, because 鈥渋t asks us to delve into ourselves and confront the truest part of us.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis invited everyone 鈥渢o cultivate spaces for silence in which another Word can emerge: that of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.鈥� This will involve being careful of our speech, which if unchecked can become evil, and our words can become 鈥渇lattery, bragging, lies, backbiting, and slander.鈥�

Learning to cultivate silence

This, the 杏MAP导航 said, 鈥渋s why we must learn from Joseph to cultivate silence: that space of interiority in our days in which we give the Spirit the opportunity to regenerate us, to console us, to correct us.鈥� And, he concluded, 鈥渢he benefit to our hearts will also heal our language, our words and above all our choices,鈥� like St Joseph, who combined silence with action.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis concluded the catechesis at Wednesday's General Audience with a prayer to St Joseph:

Saint Joseph, man of silence,
you who in the Gospel did not utter a single word,
teach us to fast from vain words,
to rediscover the value of words that edify, encourage, console and support.

Be close to those who suffer from words that hurt,
like slander and backbiting,
and help us always to match words with deeds. Amen.