Day Thirty-Three – Silence and Surrender

Question:  The chapter on silence (27) is one of the most referenced by the Brothers in these conversations. Can you say what stands out to you particularly there?

Br. David Vryhof:  That chapter actually addresses much more than silence, which is why I think it is so foundational to our life together.  It says so much about relationships, about surrendering judgments of our friends and our enemies. When we say, “in silence we learn to let go of the curiosity, presumption and condemnation that pretend to penetrate the mystery of their hearts,” we are reminded that whoever the other is just as complex and complicated as we are—which is humbling most of the time.