"An excellent
method of preserving interior silence is to keep exterior silence. . . even in
the world, each one of us can make his own solitude, a boundary beyond which
nothing can force its way unperceived. It is not noise in itself that is the difficulty,
but noise that is pointless; it is not every conversation, but useless
conversations; not all kinds of occupation, but aimless occupations. In point
of fact, everything that does not serve some good purpose is harmful. It is
foolish, nay, more, it is a betrayal to devote to a useless objective powers
that can be given to what is essential. There are two ways of separating
ourselves from almighty God, quite different from one another but both
disastrous, although for different reasons: mortal sin and voluntary
distractions—mortal sin, which objectively breaks off our union with God, and
voluntary distractions, which subjectively interrupt or hinder our union from
being as close as it ought to be. We should speak only when it is preferable
not to keep silence. The Gospel does not say merely that we shall have to give
an account of every evil word, but of every idle thought."
— St. Alphonsus Liguori, Sermons of St.
Alphonsus, p. 44
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