HOW WELL DO WE COMMUNICATE?

Who among us do not wish for better communication in our lives? With the advent of so many new gadgets and technology that keep us constantly wired and connected, one would expect that communication is not an
area that we would expect to be having problems anymore.

And yet, we continue to experience the frustration of bad communication and the pain of isolation in this world of instant and perpetual ‘connectedness’.

Why is that? Perhaps it is because genuine communication requires more than a connection. It requires more than words.

In his recent message in preparation for World Communications Day 2012, Pope Benedict XVI reflected on the role of silence in communication.

Here are some choice quotes from his message for our contemplation. May they help us have a deeper understanding of what is needed in loving, Christian communication with others.

- Silence is an integral element of communication; in its absence, words rich in content cannot exist. In silence, we are better 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.

- By remaining silent we allow the other person to speak, to express him or herself; and we avoid being tied
simply to our own words and ideas without them being adequately tested. In this way, space is created for
mutual listening, and deeper human relationships become possible.

- When messages and information are plentiful, silence becomes essential if we are to distinguish what is
important from what is insignificant or secondary.

- The eloquence of God’s love, lived to the point of the supreme gift, speaks in the silence of the Cross.

- If God speaks to us even in silence, we in turn discover in silence the possibility of speaking with God and about God.

- In speaking of God’s grandeur, our language will always prove inadequate and must make space for silent
contemplation. Out of such contemplation springs forth, with all its inner power, the urgent sense of mission, the compelling obligation “to communicate that which we have seen and heard” so that all may be in
communion with God.

- Silent contemplation immerses us in the source of that Love who directs us towards our neighbours so that
we may feel their suffering and offer them the light of Christ, his message of life and his saving gift of the fullness of love.

- Word and silence: learning to communicate is learning to listen and contemplate as well as speak. This is
especially important for those engaged in the task of evangelization: both silence and word are essential
elements, integral to the Church’s work of communication for the sake of a renewed proclamation of Christ
in today’s world.

Excerpts from Pope Benedict XVI’s Message for the 46th World Communications Day [Sunday, 20 May 2012]
From the Vatican, 24 January 2012, Feast of Saint Francis de Sales.