Silence, language, and God

This beautiful picture of the famous St. Basil's church in Moscow is in honor of St. Basil of Caesarea, who lived in the 4th century A.D. and was one of the founders of monasticism in Christianity.

His teachings are treasured especially in the Eastern Orthodox churches, and today's readings are taken from his writings.

In the first reading, Basil gives us valuable instruction in the art of contemplating God. People back then seemed to have the same trouble we have quieting our minds and learning to commune with God in all the comings and goings of life.

Here are his wise words on how to do this.

You must strive for a quiet mind.

If your eyes are perpetually restless, they cannot appreciate a beautiful object set before them;

they glance this way and that, and so fail to discern the subtlety of the object's form and color.

Equally, if the mind is perpetually restless, distracted by a thousand worldly concerns,

it cannot apprehend the truth.

You cannot write on a wax tablet without first erasing the marks already on it.

Equally your mind cannot receive divine truth without first unlearning

the false notions and prejudices that you have acquired in the past.

Solitude is the best context for quieting the mind and unlearning falsehood.

Seek out a place of solitude, where you can train your soul without interruption,

nourishing your soul with thoughts of God.

Begin each day like a choir of angels, honoring God with songs of praise.

As the day brightens, pursue your various tasks to the accompaniment of prayers,

and season your labor with the salt of still more songs.

A pleasant melody composes the mind and calms the passions.

Gradually, your tongue will lose its appetite for idle conversation,

your eyes will cease to crave constant stimulation,

and your ears will not longer hunger for gossip.

This will enable your mind to turn inwards and begin its contemplation of God.

Having spoken of silence and contemplation, Basil has wisdom, borne of holy silence, about the limitations of language, especially when it comes to speaking of God.

The nature and majesty of God can neither be defined by human language

nor comprehended by human intellect.

It cannot be explained or grasped by formulae or concepts.

In speaking about God, we find ourselves compelled to use images and metaphors.

In order to see God face to face, we would have to first be made perfect in mind and soul.

But in our present state, we can only perceive God indirectly and partially,

as if we were seeing a reflection in a darkened mirror.

So let us cherish these perceptions with joy, while we wait patiently for perfection in time to come.

When we study our sacred texts,

we are made more and more aware of the partiality of our present knowledge,

and of our inability to pierce the mystery of God.

As we make progress in the spiritual life,

we become more and more aware of the distance we have yet to travel.

No single word or title is sufficient to signify the glorious nature of God.

One person uses the term 'God', but this does not denote his fatherly love for us.

Another person uses 'Father' but this does not denote God's creative power.

And what term can convey God's goodness, wisdom, and countless other attributes?

Indeed, all words and titles for God are no more than human inventions,

trying to relate God to some human experience.

My prayer of response:

Great Mystery, for Whom no Name is sufficient, may I fix my heart and mind on Your marvelous Presence when I awake, and when I sleep, and in all the hours between.

May songs of praise fill my heart as I live my life, so that communion with You may be the bedrock of my existence.

May I have the humility to realize how imperfect and incomplete any ideas of You may be that I harbor,

and may I be willing to sail on the sea of your Great Transcendent Mystery, content with experiencing You without having to explain or define You to myself or anyone else. Amen.