Silence isn’t always golden. We expect silence from certain people and in certain situations. Mimes, for example, are generally silent. But God isn’t supposed to be silent; his apparent silence is the source of suffering. When we cry out to God and he doesn’t seem to come through, we’re left asking, “Does he actually care?” I know he’s supposed to care – after all he’s God – but does he really?
This is why Jesus cried out on the Cross, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” In other words, “Why don’t you answer me? Why are you silent?” The eternal dialogue between the Father and the Son is interrupted, but by entering into a suffering silence Jesus redeemed it. In the silence of God, we find the cry of Christ. In the silence of God, if we allow it, we find Jesus at our side.
Silence isn’t always golden. But, with Christ, it becomes a word from God.
