[REFLECTION] The silence of God

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In the stillness of Holy Saturday, we confront the profound silence of God, a silence that invites us to listen deeply and trust in the promise of resurrection and renewed life

We are not always comfortable with silence — especially when it is deafening. That’s why we instinctively reach for our phones, surf the internet, play music, or turn on the TV. We try to fill what feels like a void, afraid of what the absence of sound might reveal.

In our conversations, silence often feels awkward or incomplete. We feel compelled to speak — offering opinions, explanations, justifications. We argue to be heard and, more often than not, we long to have the final word.

This tendency carries over into our prayer life. We recite more than we listen. We ask more than we contemplate. We bombard God with petitions and questions: Why this suffering? What does the future hold? Why is God silent when I need Him most?

And still, God remains silent.

Yet this silence is not emptiness — it is presence. As with the prophet Elijah, who sought God in the earthquake, the fire, and the wind, we too must wait patiently to encounter Him in the gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:11–12).

The silence of God is not the silence of abandonment. It is the silence of mystery. It is the silence of love at work in hidden ways. While we wrestle with our doubts, God is already responding—in quiet, in stillness, in the movements of grace we often fail to notice. The Holy Spirit stirs within us, gently leading us beyond ourselves, inspiring compassion, and calling us to serve the most vulnerable.

In His silence, God is more present than we realize. He listens even when we can’t hear Him. He speaks not always with words, but with peace, conviction, and a persistent invitation to trust.

Today is Holy Saturday — perhaps the most silent day of all. The tomb is sealed. The Word made flesh lies still. Heaven seems quiet. Hope, suspended.

But this silence is not the end of the story.

Because tomorrow, God will speak again — loudly, triumphantly — in the Resurrection of His Son. Then we will hear clearly what His silence has been saying all along:

“Death is not the final word. Life is.
Not sorrow, but joy.
Not despair, but hope.
I have come that you may have life,
and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

– Rappler.com

Elias Ayuban Jr. is the bishop of the Diocese of Cubao.