The Virtue of Silence According to Blessed Elena Guerra

Introduction

This blog post examines the thoughts of Blessed Elena Guerra on
the subject of silence. Blessed Elena Guerra is the foundress of
the Oblates of the Holy Spirit. Pope Leo XIII encouraged her in
1897 to continue carrying on the apostolate for the cause of the
Holy Spirit. In her book, "Rebirth in the Holy Spirit", she
teaches the meaning of external and inner silence.

A way to silence

According to Blessed Elena, one way to silence is by meditating.
If we meditate well on the mysteries of our faith, it is like a
"rope that binds the soul to God". Meditation guards our thoughts
and our hearts from the invasion of noise. If we keep our minds
and hearts unguarded, we make both "like a vineyard without a
hedge, and a house with doors that are always open to whoever
wants to enter in."

The spiritual benefits of silence

In her writing, Blessed Elena enumerates many spiritual benefits
when we practice both external and interior silence. First,
silence mortifies impatience, needless curiosity, and many other
bad inclinations. Second, it helps us avoid improper speech and
immoderate conversations. Third, we are able to restrain self-love
and other passions. Fourth, it makes our heart pure, our charity
more generous, our conscience more calm, and our work better
accomplished. And fifth, it makes our examination of conscience
easier, our confessions brief, our prayers more devout, our
communions more fervent, and our happiness more complete.

Examining our silence

According to Blessed Elena, we have achieved a silence that is
given to the Holy Spirit's direction, if we do not react, respond,
or do the following:

• we feel hurt when somebody accuses us instead of bearing
  calmly the reproach
• we respond with more offensive words when somebody says a
  despising word to us
• when an injustice is inflicted upon us, we tell it to
  everyone and we do nothing else but complain
• we keep the bad habit of talking too much about others'
  affairs - revealing things that must not be known

Her teaching also reflected in Scripture

If we read the many passages in the Wisdom books on the virtue of
silence, we will learn that all that Blessed Elena teaches are
based on these passages. A sample of these passages are given
below:

"The lips of the impious talk of what is not their
concern, but the words of the prudent are carefully weighed.
Fools' thoughts are in their mouths, wise men's words are in
their hearts." (Sirach 21:25-26)

"Who will set a guard over my mouth, and upon my lips
an effective seal, that I may not fail through them, that my
tongue may not destroy me?" (Sirach 22:27)

"With closest custody, guard your heart, for in it
are the sources of life. Put away from you dishonest talk,
deceitful speech put far from you." (Proverbs 4:23-24)

"Where words are many, sin is not wanting; but he who
restrains his lips does well." (Proverbs 10:19)