I was watching yesterday the first episode of a series of programmes on the BBC called, 'The Great Silence'. cf http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/2010/wk42/feature_big_silence.shtm A new three-part series for BBC Two, The Big Silence, follows five people who have taken time out of their daily lives in an attempt to understand just why silence is so elusive and hard to attain in modern-day society. Programme Information discovers more about their quest for quiet. Carrie, David, Helen, Jon and Trish all have modern, high-pressured jobs in stressful trades: business, teaching, PR, media and hospitality. They live hectic lives surrounded by constant white noise – internet, text, mobile phone, conference-calling and multi-media. All of them are aware of something profoundly missing from their lifestyles and are looking for an opportunity to find a more spiritual dimension to their lives. Guiding the volunteers on their spiritual journey is Abbott Christopher Jamison of Worth Abbey in West Sussex, whom many viewers will remember from popular BBC Two series The Monastery. As a Benedictine monk he is steeped in the Catholic tradition of the contemplative life, but he is convinced that everyone in the "real" world outside the monastery can also benefit from sustained, regular periods of silence. Father Christopher says: "Many of the world's religions believe there is one simple path that leads us towards God. It's called silence. "When we enter into periods of silence, we start to see things with greater clarity. We come to know ourselves, and get in touch with the deepest part of ourselves. That is our soul." In the first episode Father Christopher invites the volunteers to spend two days with his community of monks in Sussex, where they spend time in quiet, completive prayer and meditation. Father Christopher explains: "It is not a spiritual bath or tonic. The reality is very different. We bump into our deepest selves." The weekend at Worth Abbey is to prepare the group for the experience that forms the centre of the series: an eight-day total-immersion course in silence at St Buenos in North Wales, a Retreat run by Jesuit priests and spiritual guides. Absolutely no talking is allowed, except for a one-hour counselling session a day, and recording a short diary on tape. The volunteers must confront fear, denial, anxiety and anger so that they can emerge with remarkable insights into themselves and their lives, before they can return to their jobs, families and communities to confront the pressures of life in a new way. Over the following two-month period Father Christopher monitors their progress, at their own homes and at Worth Abbey as they meet up for a spiritual health check. The question is whether, after their time with Father Christopher and their Jesuit spiritual guides is over, they will return to their old ways or if they have learnt valuable lessons that can profoundly change their lives for ever. The five volunteers taking part in the series are: Carrie Lloyd Carrie, 29, is on sabbatical from a job as head of PR for an advertising firm to write a film. She divides her time between her boyfriend's flat in London and her mum's home in Stamford. Brought up by Baptist ministers and still a regular churchgoer, Carrie is the only member of the group with a strong religious faith. She wants to explore silence to discover why she feels driven to live such a relentlessly busy life, and to confront the grief she still feels over the death of her father six years ago. Trish Adudu Trish is the 40-year-old mother of two young boys, aged nine and seven, and partner to musician Ez. She lives in Coventry and is a part-time teacher in a secondary school, and also a radio presenter with her own Saturday morning breakfast show on BBC Radio Coventry. Trish was a firm believer in God until her father died suddenly three years ago. Since then she has lost her faith but is desperate to have her faith issues and anger with God resolved. David Dalglish David, 28, lives in Glasgow with his fiancée and his baby daughter. He works long hours in one of the city's busiest Italian eateries as a restaurant manager. David's life gives him little time to reflect, but he has a great appetite to explore his spirituality and find his own answers to the big questions he knows his child will be asking him when she's older. Like most of the group, David has no religious affiliation. Jon Treanor A successful, self-made entrepreneur, 55-year-old Jon runs his own business consultancy company and is also on the board of a luxury car hire firm. Twice divorced, he has two children from previous relationships, plus one grandchild. Jon has material success but lacks spiritual contentment. He wants to explore silence in order to search out what has been missing in his life. Helen Doughty A 50-year-old Londoner, Helen was, until recently, a human resources director of a large global company. Much of her life up to this point has been work focused, but Helen lost her job in the recession and now she is at a major crossroads in her life. She wants to discover what silence can do to help her explore big questions about which direction she should take, in both personal and career terms. Helen is not I found it very,very touching. For instance, one of the group, Jon Treanor, a hard bitten wealthy buisnessman does not believe in God (four of the five do not believe). Jon had a very hard childhood in which he was thrown on in the street and said he had to at once take up stealing to make ends meet. He is very careful with his emotions and very sceptical of faith. A very busy man very driven. I suppose the very type of person I would be tempted to write off as someone who would follow the prayer path (..and may God forgive me for it}.. During the first day of the retreat Jon is bored and takes the keys for a little oratory up in the hill near the retreat centre . It is very small inside and there is an open bible. Jon takes it up and reads it and there it says the famous piece from Psalm 14: Psalm 14:1 For the director of music. Of David. The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. As soon as I heard Jon reading this I though to myself, 'Wow thats just so apt for Jon's spiritual circumstance...that's exactly the bible passage he needs to hear to start with'....' But the I cynically thought, 'That must be a plant , that can't be an accident , the chances of this happening must be a billion to one...' However then Jon turned the bible randomly to another reading which really shook him (and me up...): It was Psalm 51, very much about the sinner being converted: Psalm 51 For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts [a] ; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. 14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 The sacrifices of God are [c] a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar. Well you know as soon as Jon read Psalm 51 he began to weep and I admit I felt tears springing to my own eyes too, its was amazing to see the Holy SPirit working in such a miraculous way right before my eyes...
I saw the programme too Padraig and it is compelling viewing - look forward to next week's edition. But what really struck me and something had not thought of it before was the power of silence. For in silence we encounter our true selves and the masks we wear are stripped naked. Each of the volunteers found it really tough going to be in silence for even a few hours as our culture is saturated with noise and busy-ness so few are able to experience the presence of God, 'Be still and know that I am God'. Perhaps silence could save western civilzation? Such is the power of silence and medtitative/contemplative prayer. I can't help but thing the way that society is structured however that most people would find it difficult to find 5 minutes of peace and quiet never mind an hour as recommended by Fr Christopher. I couldn't help but thing that busy-ness and noise-iness are the friends of satan and after watching the first episode it helped me to understand the story of Martha and Mary, which I always had difficulty with. Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:38-42).
