August can be viewed as the year’s sabbath rest. This month offers opportunities to realign our hearts and minds to God’s creation, His hopes and plans, His pace and rhythm. One simple way we can enter this time is through the practice of increased silence.
In August we honor the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The very first day of the month is dedicated to Our Lady of Silence. This relatively new memorial, instituted by Pope Francis in 2021, can serve as a collect for our souls.
For it is not enough to “unplug” ourselves, we need to truly rest. And how do we do this? To do so, we must return to the heart of things: to stop, to remain in silence, to pray so as not to go from the frenzy of work to the frenzy of times of relaxation. Jesus did not neglect the needs of the crowd, but each day, before anything else, He would withdraw in prayer, in silence, in intimacy with the Father. – Pope Francis
Pope Francis goes on to acknowledge the graces of August saying, “Let us take advantage of the summertime for this!”
Not Too Late
Yes, August first is behind us this year, but thinking of Our Lady of Silence as the month’s collect can aid our efforts at rest and contemplation. Keeping silence helps us allow the Holy Spirit to breathe life, ruah, into our spirit, conversely suffocating our flesh.
The concern of the flesh is death, but the concern of the spirit is life and peace. (Rom. 8:6)
In silence we inhale life and peace, and we exhale death in detachment from all that does not produce true life in Christ. In silence we listen more. We can hear the voice of God when the world’s noise is lessened. Through God’s Word, creation, other people and art, we can receive the restoration a sabbath month can bring.
The Silence of St. Joseph
St. Joseph’s example of silence is perhaps without equal in the Church. Interestingly, Pope Francis instituted the feast of Our Lady of Silence during the Year of St. Joseph. Though certainly St. Joseph spoke throughout his life, the absence of any recorded words in the gospels highlights the importance of his contemplative life as head of the Holy Family.
Pope Benedict XVI said of St. Joseph’s silence that it, “is also his message,” because “it expresses the ‘yes’ that he took upon himself in his union with Mary and thus with Jesus.” Our attempts at increasing silence can be our “yes” to union with God and with all that His will desires to accomplish in and through our lives.
Silence at Knock
On August 21, 1879, a Church-approved apparition occurred at St. John the Baptist Parish in Knock, Ireland. Our Lady appeared, flanked on either side by St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist. Behind and above them, attended by adoring angels, was the Lamb of God on an altar with the Cross behind Him. This magnificent scene held one important difference from many other well-known apparitions: no one spoke. This was an entirely silent vision to the awestruck onlookers.
The feast of Our Lady of Knock is August 17th, nestled between the Solemnity of the Assumption and the memorial of the Queenship of Mary, all set in the month of the Immaculate Heart. The presence of the Gospels’ most well-known silent saint, Joseph, as well as St. John who lived with and learned from Blessed Mother, in the apparition echoes the spiritual importance and efficacy of a quiet life.
Oh, your message is unspoken
But the truth in silence lies
So I gaze upon your vision
And the truth I try to find
Here I stand, with John the teacher
And with Joseph at your side
And I see the lamb of God
On the altar glorified
Golden Rose, Queen of Ireland
All my cares and troubles cease
As we kneel with love before you
Lady of Knock, my Queen of Peace
(from Lady of Knock, written by Dana Scallon and Damien Scallon)
This touching song speaks to the listener’s heart beyond the simplicity of the words. As we contemplate the vision, we join the adoration of the Lamb and release our cares and troubles to Jesus through Mary.
Pilgrims at Knock speak of receiving spiritual consolation and healing. Families often go home with a renewed prayer life and deeper understanding of the importance of faith and family over other pursuits. Pilgrims who have been to shrines all over the world speak of the primacy of Knock in their affections because of its simple yet profound message.
The Fruits of Silence are the Fruits of Knock
The important fruit of this apparition belies its simplicity:
The Eucharist is central to our lives: The silent presence of the Lamb of God on the altar draws our attention to the Mass as the central mystery of our Faith. Christ’s Real Presence is primary in our spiritual lives. Our lives should reflect this truth.
Jesus and Blessed Mother wish to console us in our suffering: The vision at Knock arrived after decades of famine, poverty, oppression, and emigration. God’s response to the Irish people’s faithfulness was a vision of quiet hope, resilience, and endurance through the continued practice of the Faith which sustained them.
Our heavenly family is with us, and our earthly family is of supreme importance: The Communion of Saints was emphasized with the inclusion of St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist alongside the Blessed Mother. These figures also draw attention to the importance and holiness of the domestic church.
God cares about our well-being on earth: Many miraculous physical, emotional, and spiritual healings have been recorded at Knock. Millions of pilgrims seeking grace, reconciliation, and restoration continue to flock to the Shrine.
The Quiet of the Holy Family Can Restore our Families
Silence or simply increased quiet can have a profound effect on our spiritual and our family lives. Perhaps this confluence of the recent institution of Our Lady of Silence and the apparition at Knock’s August occurrence, all in the setting of the month of the Immaculate Heart, is a gift for what ails us in our time in history.
There are many simple ways to increase quiet:
- Choosing to let others speak when your own opinion isn’t necessary
- Letting chatter die in favor of backyard birdsong
- Declining to explain yourself and simply saying, “I’m sorry”
- Not sharing updates on what is going on in the world of news or entertainment
- Keeping “quiet hours” at the beginning and end of the day
- Saying less when you could go on and on about a favorite topic
During what remains of this “sabbath month” of August, step into the graces that silence can yield. Breathe the breath of the Holy Spirit into your spirit as Mary, Joseph, and John did in their earthly lives, by speaking less to hear more the words God wishes to speak to your heart.
Author’s Note: If you are interested in sharing the gift of the apparition at Knock with a child, a beautiful book written by Fr. Donald Calloway and Patrick O’Hearn and illustrated by Ann Kissane Engelhart is available through the Marians of the Immaculate Conception.
Photo by Ferran Ventura on Unsplash
