It’s a silent Saturday morning in Westerly. Outside, a car whispers by every so often, and when I listen carefully I can hear the sounds of a gentle rain falling and perhaps a car’s tires splashing along the street, but otherwise the town seems utterly muted. It’s as if the entire population is enjoying a late and peaceful sleep. My small apartment is just as silent. Some holiday candles are glowing on tables and bookshelves here and there, and my reading lamp is giving a golden light to my laptop as I type, but, thankfully, there’s no noise whatsoever. All is hushed in these peaceful rooms where I’m lucky to live. It seems fitting, at this holiday season, that I’m enjoying a morning of silence, for the beauty of silence is one of the main points of Jesus’ teaching. Noise is caused by confusion and chaos, and Jesus brought a message of order and harmony. He taught us that only in silence – in the “closet” of prayer -- can be found the quiet truth of reality. And that’s exactly what I’m experiencing on this drizzly, serene holiday morning.