Contemplative silence is the peace the world cannot give (John 14:27). That does not mean that there is not a place for explaining, not a place for understanding, but we first have to learn to say yes to the moment. Yes is where we have to begin. If we start with no, which is critiquing, judging, pigeonholing, analyzing, and dismissing, it is very hard to get back to yes. We must learn to start every single encounter with a foundational yes, before we ever dare to move to no. That is the heart of contemplation, and it takes a lifetime of practice. You have now begun and can live each day with a forever-returning beginner’s mind. It will always be silent before it dares to speak.
—from the book Silent Compassion: Finding God in Contemplation
by Richard Rohr, OFM
