“God’s first language is silence. Everything else is a bad translation”?

By admin - Sat Jun 09, 9:26 pm

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by Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library

Question by : “God’s first language is silence. Everything else is a bad translation”?

@ Miss Q – Actually, the quote is from Father Thomas Keating, Catholic priest and mystic, from his book, Intimacy With God (1994).
@ Healthy Fur – So *that’s* what Clint’s deal was! Oh, okay… that explains it.

As for presenting the quote like this, yes – I liked the open interpretation aspect of it that way. But I agree with your idea of “no fireworks.” Keating appears to very much have been a mystic (be a mystic? not sure if he’s still around). And in that sense, I really like the stark contrast to so much of the silly fire & brimstone brands we see so much of today. This contrast in itself is interesting, and makes for somewhat of an eye-catching question, I thought.

Best answer:

Answer by I believe in Healthy Fur
Kinda like Clint Eastwood in some of those old Western movies.

Clint was also a Catholic mystic.

All those scenes where he was gazing over the plains of the Old West, he was in contemplative prayer.

===

OK, enough rambling.

When you present the quote just like that, it could be taken to have quite a different meaning to what the author intended. It makes it sound like he prayed and got no answer and so there must be no god. As a Catholic mystic, I highly doubt that’s what he intended by the quote.

It’s more likely he meant ‘don’t expect fireworks’ and burning bushes etc. If you become one with God, expect a peace and tranquility… not some kind of speaking in tongues or other such stuff.

Add your own answer in the comments!

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