Commentary on the Gospel of
Language can only deal with a small part of reality; the rest—by far the greater part—is silence. Death is the great silence ultimately imposed on everyone. If we are to hear the words of Jesus, said an early Christian writer, we must hear his silence too. Kneel by his cross, if you will, but it is better to sit, because we are going to have to stay a long time: all our life, in a way. We have to sit with our own pain and sorrow and resist the temptation to “solve” them or avoid them. Only into silence will they pour out their meaning.
