"Silence is the birthplace of the listening and praise which daily restore our humanity by transforming our consciousness. No institution, technology, or human expertise will end human suffering, conflict, greed, war, injustice, and fear. Only transformed human beings will transform our world. We cannot foresee such transformation by ourselves, but must listen to God's voice and be open to God's vision. If we learn to recognize God's voice in contemplation and meditation, we will be able to hear that same voice in the midst of daily life. When we pay attention to God as the source of true insight, knowledge, and wisdom, our work, activities, decisions, and relationships will be transformed. We must be quiet in order to be human and learn to live into the likeness of God. The dance of life always begins with silence.

"Today there are great battles waging between groups claiming to have unique access to 'truth.' Political, religious, and philosophical ideologies are engaged in struggles for people's hearts, influence, and allegiance; many of these battles lead to violence, physical torture, emotional abuse, and human and ecological catastrophe. Truth has become a weapon of control rather than a path to freedom. How can we know the truth? My own understanding of truth has changed over the years, mostly through my commitment to contemplative prayer. It has not been easy. I have learned that human certainty about knowledge or experience (which is truth from our human point of view) should be congruent with personal experience of God and what God desires for the world.

"The origin of truth is God. Truth must bring forth life and liberation. My commitment is to recognize truth wherever I find it and to embody truth in my words and actions. This is impossible unless I rely on my experience of God in the silence of personal prayer and the wisdom of my faith community's experience of God. Sometimes I have been wrong. Sometimes the church has been wrong. But in our failures to recognize and live the truth, we learn to depend on God and seek the truth in silence. As the Syrian monk Isaac of Nineveh said, 'Every person who delights in a multitude of words, even though he says admirable things, is empty within. If you love truth, be a lover of silence. Silence, like the sunlight, will illuminate you in God and will deliver you from the phantoms of ignorance. Silence will unite you to God.' "