Silence and Pastoral Ministry

I’m reading The Way of the Heart by Henri Nouwen a few pages at a time. There was a great passage that I thought was helpful and challenging for pastors. The section is on the wisdom of silence from the desert fathers. Here’s his quote:

“Our task is to help people concentrate on the real but often hidden event of God’s active presence in their lives. Hence, the question that must guide all organizing activity in a parish is not how to keep people busy, but how to keep them from being so busy that they can no longer hear the voice of God who speaks in silence.” (p. 47)