Divine peace has an inner and outer manifestation. Exteriorly, it manifests as fire, as zeal, as transformation, as death and rebirth. Interiorly, it manifests as silence, as knowledge, as joy, as union with the Beloved: a joy of union that is capable of communicating itself to others.
~ from "Zeal In Detachment" by Stratford Caldecott in "Parabola", Fall 1996
True silence is our search for God ... a suspension bridge that a soul in love with God builds across the dark, frightening gullies of its own mind, the strange chasms of temptations, the depthless precipices of its own fears that impede its way to God.
True silence is the speech of lovers. For only love knows its beauty, completeness, and utter joy. True silence is a garden enclosed, where alone the soul can meet its God.
~ from CELTIC NIGHT PRAYER by the Northumbria Community with thanks to Roger S. Smith
