Die Große Stille

And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. I. Kings 19:11-12.

With these words, the film Into Great Silence began. They were appropriate verses, because the entire film - that's 160 minutes - was next to silent, virtually no talking. The film is about The Grand Chartreuse, the mother house of the legendary Carthusian Order of the Catholic Church. Essentially, the film captures the repetitive, rhythmic life at the "mother house" and beautifully portrays the life of prayer/worship, work, community, etc... It is a voyage into a different world.

Here's how the website introduces the film:

"Silence. Repetition. Rhythm. The film is an austere, next to silent meditation on monastic life in a very pure form. No music except the chants in the monastery, no interviews, no commentaries, no extra material."

I've been pondering what the connection is between the opening verse (above), and the vow of silence upheld by the Carthusians (in this particular Order, monks live in virtual silence .. talking is extremely limited, permitted only at designated times), and I've come to the conclusion that the connection is as follows: God speaks to us through the ordinary.

This is totally counter-cultural, because we are told that God - if he's there - should announce himself in 'obvious' ways (like creation isn't obvious enough): he should come down majestically in a cloud (which he will, when Jesus returns), or he should appear in a thunder, bolt, and lighting show, or even more grandiose, he should announce himself through giant hand-writing in the sky. Jesus' contemporaries were looking for signs and wonders, just like us, but Jesus responded, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given..." (Matthew 16:4)

The sound of a low whisper?

Our culture is a culture of noise: not only talk and music, but the humdrum of all kinds of other noises, like buses, construction cranes, cash registers, computers, and cellphones. We may not like to admit it, but often times - perhaps even usually - these noises just serve to distract us and occupy ourselves. We need to be distracted from the monotony of everyday life, so we buzz and beep ourselves, thinking "Yes, now I have meaning", and we occupy ourselves with making noise thinking "Now I am important."

The sound of a low whisper?

What we don't realize is that we already are important, and we already have meaning, except, we're too occupied seeking the extra-ordinary, and we're too busy making noise. We're not listening. In the meantime, Jesus awaits us with open arms: "Be still."

Be still? "Be still and what...!!!", we say. "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10).

The sound of a low whisper?

Yes, Jesus comes to us in the sound of a low whisper. Can you hear him?