The Sound of Thundering Silence… Listen!
Living Words from Saint Pope John Paul II
Les Combes, Valle d’Aosta, Italy, 11 July 2004
I greet with affection all of you who have come to Les Combes to share with me in our regular Sunday gathering at the Angelus. I warmly thank the Mayor of Introd and those who work with him for their courteous welcome. Thank you, regional and provincial authorities. My collaborators and I enjoy a peaceful stay among the charming mountains of the Valle d’Aosta.
In this calm oasis, before the beautiful display of nature, it is easy to feel the benefits of silence, a quality that is becoming rarer and rarer today.
The many opportunities modern society affords for relations and information sometimes risk leaving no room for recollection, even jeopardizing a person’s ability to reflect and pray.
It is only in silence that human beings can hear in their innermost being the voice of God which truly sets them free. And holidays can help people rediscover and cultivate this indispensable inner dimension of human life.
Excerpted from the writings of Pope John Paul II