Tonight, we read Step number 11 on “talkativeness and silence.” Fittingly, it is very brief, if not the briefest of all of the steps of The Ladder. This brevity is St. John’s way of teaching us that so much of our speech involves vainglory; putting ourselves on display. We seek through it to step out of ourselves; betraying the painful experience we have as human beings of our lack of identity. God has created us for himself. He has created us in his image and likeness precisely that we might not experience ourselves in isolation, but rather in communion. However, to enter into communion with God means to step out of our limited ways of perceiving the world around us and reality as a whole. This means allowing God, through the silence,
to draw us in faith into the experience of His life, light and love. To give ourselves over to talkativeness is to find ourselves dissipated. Our desire for God cools and the emptiness that we feel drives us to fill our lives with anything and everything so that we do not feel alone. Despite having God dwelling within us, once we lose sight of him, silence becomes an enemy. Therefore, John tells us that we must foster silence as a habit. We must allow God to show us its value, and what it makes possible for us. The first step is to create external silence. Once we have done this, we often see the unsettledness of our minds and hearts.
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Text of chat during the group:
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Twenty-six and Homily Twenty-seven Part I
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Twenty-five Part II
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Twenty-four and Homily Twenty-five Part I
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Twenty-three Part II
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Twenty-two and Homily Twenty-three Part I
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Twenty-one Part II
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Twenty-one Part I
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Twenty Part II
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Twenty Part I
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Nineteen
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Seventeen Part III and Homily Eighteen
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Seventeen Part II
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Seventeen Part I
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Sixteen
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Fifteen Part III
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Fifteen Part II
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Thirteen, Homily Fourteen and Homily Fifteen Part I
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Eleven and Homily Twelve
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Ten
The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian - Homily Nine
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