Molchanie : the silence of God

Molchanie is the Russian word for "silence." In language poetic and meditative yet direct and simple, the author invites us to share her own pilgrimage into God's silence. Pilgrimage lasts as long as one's life, and involves purification, union with God, work and suffering, culminating in the almost miraculous experience of the divine silence. Much of Molchanie is in the way of allegory, full of visions and imagination-it is an allegorical pilgrimage. Catherine distinguishes between silence and solitude, insisting that silence doesn't need solitude. One can remain in the silence of God and leave the door of the heart unlatched to be at the disposal of those in need. "God offers us many silences-the silence of babyhood, the silence of childhood, the silence of youth and maturity, and finally the silence of old age."… (more)