Man may experience the darkest nights, endure the worst outrages, confront the most tragic situations, yet God is with him. Often man forgets that God is present…. Confronted with evil, man gets organized by gathering the means necessary for his defense. His action is just, but sometimes it provokes greater evils. Our true grandeur lies in the humility of faith; the purer our belief, the more profound it is and the closer it brings us to God, who is infinitely great. Someone who is close to God becomes powerful; he can conquer the evil that corrodes the world, and he is capable of integrating it into his prayer of intercession.
Silence and prayer are not a form of defection. They are the strongest weapons against evil. Man wants to "do," but above all else he must "be." In silent prayer, man is fully human. He resembles David before Goliath. For prayer is the noblest, most sublime, and most vigorous act, which elevates man to the level of God…. Silence is not a form of passivity. By remaining silent, man can avoid a greater evil. It is not an earthly dereliction of duty to place your trust in heaven.
In the parable of the good grain and the chaff, Christ invites us to let the wheat and the weeds grow until the hour of the harvest. Then the time will come when evil will be destroyed by good. Persevering patience, supported by providence, is an ally in all our daily battles. The combat against evil plays out over time, and it is important to persevere and not to lose hope. God is fashioning hearts, and evil never has the last word. In the darkest night, God works in silence. We have to enter into God's time and into this great silence that is a silence of love, trust, and active abandonment. Let us never forget that silent prayer is the strongest and surest act in the struggle against evil.
The devil invites mankind to rebellion and disorder. With his litany of subterfuges, he sows discord and incites us to pour out our hatred upon each other. "Old Scratch" always makes noise and a lot of racket so as to prevent us from resting in God. The devil will not be able to reach us in the stronghold of silence. Let us guard against multiplying sins by satisfying our little egotistical or revolutionary passions.
