January 24th was the feast day of St. Francis de Sales – patron of journalists and communicators – and the occasion Pope Benedict chose to announce the Church’s message for World Communications Day 2012. The message is an interesting one, highlighting the importance of silence as a crucial variable in effective and meaningful communication. “In silence,” says Benedict, “we are able to listen to and understand ourselves; ideas come to birth and acquire depth; we understand with greater clarity what it is we want to say and what we expect from others; and we choose how to express ourselves.”
From this address, we are encouraged to acknowledge the influx of stimuli received on a daily basis, much of which is presented aggressively, and to take time to silently contemplate the things communicated to us. If this is done sincerely, the act of silence is seen, not as an absence of communication, but an integral part of it. So often it is in silent contemplation where our future actions are discerned and clarified. An example of this can be seen in this past Sunday’s gospel (Mk 1:29-39), where Jesus gets up early in the morning and goes off by himself to a deserted place to pray. When his disciples finally find him and tell him that everyone in town is looking for him, he replies, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” Jesus, like all of us, had to discern his mission, and found the strength and courage to do so in silence.
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Today the Universal Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord — a day when we all consider our own consecration to God. In particular, the feast is associated with the religious life, and so this day also marks the 16th World Day of Consecrated Life.