The Rule of St. Benedict: Chapter 38
In my experience, one valuable aspect of practicing verbal silence at meals is that it eliminates many of the problems that common meals provide for new or shy people. Some might not find it easy to make their way into the life of the tables we share, and this Benedictine practice clears the way for everyone's full participation in that life.
Another valuable aspect of this practice of silence at meals is that it can open the door to what Thich Nhat Hanh calls "mindful eating". He describes the mindful eating of a carrot:
You may like to smile to it before you put it in your mouth. When you chew it, you are aware that you are chewing a piece of carrot. Don't put anything else into your mouth, like your projects, your worries, your fear, just put the carrot in.
And when you chew, chew only the carrot, not your projects or your ideas. You are capable of living in the present moment, in the here and the now. It is simple, but you need some training to just enjoy the piece of carrot. This is a miracle.
We will need some training, indeed. Thanks be to God for the school of our Father Benedict.
Br. Chad
I have been on several extended silent retreats in which the silence became rich soil for inner reflection and communal bonding. Non-verbal communication (or, as I always called it in my reflections afterwards, communion)--when it is practiced intentionally and at length--is profoundly intimate. I still remember the faces and habits of many of my fellow retreatants clearly.
ReplyDeleteAs one of the "shy" crowd I can attest to the fact that even silence can feel uncomfortable (and sometimes the talking of others can be a useful, cloaking clatter of noise to draw attention away from oneself and to allow one to observe others unobserved). There is value in established community members attending to those who aren't naturally outgoing so that they feel noticed without being over-examined. Our first duty to the stranger is hospitality, whatever form that may take--and "what it takes" requires prudence and intuition to discern, of course.
I have a hard time imagining the Community of St. Mary of the Annunciation practicing silence as a standing practice at our rarely shared mealtimes, but I wonder how we might adopt silence as a ritual practice for certain occasions or seasons. It is an extraordinary spiritual practice.