‘Silent Night…’ is surely one of the most famous and beloved Christmas carols in the world today. The title of this popular carol is not based on any expressed detail of the Christmas story found in the Holy Bible. We are never told that the night Jesus was born was silent. In fact, we have ample evidence to suggest otherwise in the context of a census (cf. Lk. 2:1-7). Also, a great company of the Heavenly Host singing ‘Glory to God in the highest…’ would surely have filled the countryside with thundering noise!

So then, why was the night of Christmas referred to as ‘silent’? We find a clue to Joseph Mohr the composer’s intention in the second phrase; ‘HolyNight’.In the presence of holiness, sometimes we are gripped by stunned silence! For example, in Habakkuk 2:20 we read, 
“The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”

So, in the imagination of the composer of this carol, the night of Jesus’ birth was ‘silent’ because it was ‘holy’ as it was the nightthe Holy God was physically present on earth in human form.

But very often, our Christmas celebrations are anything but silent. Whether we are hearing choirs belting ‘Joy to the World…’ or the cacophony of crowds in shops and supermarkets or the joyful cries of children opening their presents, Christmas is hardly silent! 

Yet, if we take time to retreat from the commotion, if we sincerely allow ourselves to consider the Mystery of the Incarnation, if we imagine what it would have been like to join the shepherds at the manger, then perhaps we will hear in a new way the voice of God in the silence of our hearts!

God of Holiness is Often Known in His Silence
God sometimes remains silent, apparently indifferent to our situation, because He wants to open a path for entering our souls and thus lead us to holiness, making use of silence as a launching pad. God never disturbs the joy of His children, unless to prepare them for a greater and surer joy! 

In God, Silence Always has its Purpose
With His silence, God makes the faith and hope of His Own People mature and grow. He makes them new and with them He makes all things new! 

God shows Himself to His People not only in the splendour of His light, but also in silence, quietness and tranquillity.  

The Hebrew text of the Holy Bible literally says that Prophet Elijah, when fleeing from Jezebel’s persecution, heard ‘the sound or voice of a soft silence’ – דְּמָמָה - demamah in Hebrew – (cf. 1 Kings 19:9-18). Thus, what this word really means is precisely silence. In this context, silence is not empty, but rather full of Divine presence, manifestation and action. Silence guards the mystery, the mystery of God. Sacred Scripture invites us to enter into this silence if we really want to find God and experience Him in our lives.

Why does God keep silent at times? Sacred Scripture sometimes presents God’s silence and remoteness to us as a consequence of mankind’s infidelity. 

In this way, sin is a veil that makes God opaque to us, that hinders our seeing Him; it is like a noise that makes His voice inaudible. But God waits patiently behind this screen that we put between Him and us watching for the right moment to seek us out anew.

Rather than God remaining silent, what often happens is that we do not let Him speak; that we do not listen to Him, because there is already too much hustle and bustle in our lives. We are simply no longer able to hear Him as too many diverse frequencies occupy our hearing. What is said about Him appears pre-scientific to us and no longer seems adequate for our times. With this hearing defect, or even with deafness towards God, naturally we also lose our ability to speak with Him or to Him. Nevertheless, in this way we lack a decisive perception. Our interior senses badly run the risk of atrophy. On lacking that perception, the radius of our relationship with reality, in general, becomes drastically and dangerously limited. 

Each person’s daily experience also shows how our cry to receive a comforting response from God sometimes seems to confront an inner vacuum. God’s mercy, of which Sacred Scripture and Christian Tradition speak so much, can at times be difficult to perceive by someone who is going through painful situations marked by sickness, poverty, violence or injustice where prayers seem to elicit no response. Why then does God not answer our prayers? 

God’s Silence Invites Us to Walk in the Way of Holiness…
God does answer our prayers. But sometimes, God is silent as we seemingly see in the time of this present pandemic situation.

As believers, we have all been there – or will be. We may earnestly seek God but, in return, only sense His silence. This silence on the part of God can be difficult, frustrating and even very excruciating for us at times!

When we are faced with such silence on the part of God, what must we do?
1. Examine Our Own Lives
2. Accept God’s Authority
3. Listen to What God is Saying
4. Recognize that Silence can be Intimate
5. Keep on Talking to God

Therefore, God’s silence is not a license for us to turn away from Him. Instead, it is an invitation to press forward and seek Him even more diligently with unceasing faith and hope.

Through Silence to Holiness at this Christmas…!
But very often, our Christmas celebrations are anything but silent. Whether we are hearing choirs belting ‘Joy to the World…’ or the cacophony of crowds in shops and supermarkets or the joyful cries of children opening their presents, Christmas is hardly silent! Yet, if we take time to retreat from the commotion, if we sincerely allow ourselves to consider the Mystery of the Incarnation, if we imagine what it would have been like to join the shepherds at the manger, then perhaps we will hear in a new way the voice of God in the silence of our hearts!
How does one celebrate Christmas this year amidst the COVID-19 pandemic? This would probably be one in contemporary history when we are encouraged to celebrate the Christmas season in its essence, that is in its ‘silence’ and ‘holiness’.

With a focus on the COVID-19 virus, we are preoccupied with guidelines on how to celebrate Christmas this year too – maybe with only members of the family who are living in the same household, continuing to wear masks, observing social distancing, or washing hands frequently etc. We are being discouraged from visiting one another for our mutual protection and safety. The usual Christmas glee and merriment that we have been accustomed to for years and years is not that possible and visible this year!

But, at the same time, our celebration of Christmas should not also be dampened by COVID-19! Let us spread more hope, peace, joy and love this season along with the true spirit of Christmas!

This is where we are really reminded of the birth of Our Saviour in a context of true ‘silence’ and ‘holiness’. It is actually a heart-warming reminder of the true reason for the grace-filled season! 

Although this year too has been difficult for all of us, we still cling on to our Christian hope. Amidst all confusion and fear that the pandemic has brought for us, God is always with us, if we really understand the true meaning of His ‘silence’ and make it our own stepping stone towards the pathway to ‘holiness’!