I love this quote from Wisdom 18: 14-15: When peaceful silence lay over all, and night had run half of her swift course, your all-powerful word, O Lord, leaped down from heaven, from the royal throne.

Peaceful silence. We all practice silence at times, as a way to recharge, but also as a way to punish. We practice silence when we are in turmoil, or insulted, or simply too depressed to talk. But that is a mournful silence, an angry silence, a selfish silence.

Peaceful silence. It seems a prerequisite for the Word leaping down. It implies the ability to let go, to forgive, to face difficulties with tranquility. It speaks to my ability to balance my life so that what happens to me and my choice of response do not collide in conflict. It hints that difficulties are to be resolved through reflection, prayer, and acceptance. Not an easy action.

Peaceful silence. I'm reminded of the kind of silence that we experience during the stillness of night, or standing in falling snow, of while watching a glowing sunset. All these natural beauties happen in a special kind of silence, as though waiting for us to appreciate them.

Perhaps this is why the Word waits. In peaceful silence, waiting for us to appreciate him.