Loving communication implies prayerful surrender to the word of God speaking in ourselves and others.Out of this respectful openness there emerges the wisdom to know when to speak and when to be silent.When we do have to say something, we do so wisely and moderately, and to the appropriate person.In persistently trying to see the other against the background of the Sacred, we preserve inner peace.
With my rent miraculously taken care of, my life went deeply inward. I hardly spoke for over a year. Many visitors came, sat in silence, and left. Sometimes I spoke, but mostly I did not. The unwritten rule seemed to be that I would not speak out of discomfort or fear of silence. I would speak only when I felt that somehow a compassionate word might help someone I was with. Fasting, silence, and reading defined my life for several years... I didn't know if I was giving myself to foolishness or saintliness.