The Power of Silence, Robert Cardinal Sarah
The Power of Silence, Robert Cardinal Sarah
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The Power of Silence
Against the Dictatorship of Noise

Author: Robert Cardinal Sarah, Michael J. Miller

Narrator: Peter Lawrence

Unabridged: 10 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/25/2018


Synopsis

In a time when technology penetrates our lives in so many ways and materialism exerts such a powerful influence over us, Robert Cardinal Sarah presents a bold book about the strength of silence. The modern world generates so much noise, he says, that seeking moments of silence has become both harder and more necessary than ever before.Silence is the indispensable doorway to the divine, explains the cardinal in this profound conversation with Nicolas Diat. Within the hushed and hallowed walls of the La Grande Chartreuse, the famous Carthusian monastery in the French Alps, Cardinal Sarah addresses the following questions: Can those who do not know silence ever attain truth, beauty, or love? Do not wisdom, artistic vision, and devotion spring from silence, where the voice of God is heard in the depths of the human heart?After the international success of God or Nothing, Cardinal Sarah seeks to restore to silence its place of honor and importance. “Silence is more important than any other human work,” he says, “for it expresses God. The true revolution comes from silence; it leads us toward God and others so as to place ourselves humbly and generously at their service.”

About Robert Cardinal Sarah

Robert Cardinal Sarah was born in Guinea, West Africa. Made an archbishop by Pope John Paul II and a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI, he was named the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments by Pope Francis in 2014.

About Nicolas Diat

Nicolas Diat is a French journalist and author. His previous collaboration with Cardinal Sarah was on his celebrated book God or Nothing.

About Joseph Ratzinger

Joseph Ratzinger, also known as Pope Benedict XVI, was head of the Roman Catholic Church from April 2005–February 2013. A prolific author, theologian, and university professor, He served as an “expert” at the Second Vatican Council, and was tapped in 1977 by Pope Paul VI to lead the German Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. In 1981, Pope John Paul II called him to Rome to head the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, where he served until his papal election.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Friar Stebin on September 03, 2018

"It is time to revolt against the dictatorship of noise that seeks to break our hearts and our intellects. A noisy society is like sorry looking cardboard stage scenery, a world without substance, an immature flight. A noisy Church would become vain, unfaithful and dangerous." Last three-four days I......more

Goodreads review by Celia on August 24, 2019

I live in a home that has low level noise 24x7. My husband loves to watch TV, keep up with the news and uses the TV as a night light!! I, on the other hand, prefer SILENCE. No wonder this book title more than appealed to me. When one of my groups. Catholic Thought, made this a selection in June, I k......more

Goodreads review by Steven R. on April 09, 2025

Both this book and God or Nothing have been on my ‘to be read list’ for a while now. Which are the only two works by him that are available currently in English. Each time I was about to start this book, it got bumped for some reason. But I have just finished reading it for the second time in a mont......more

Goodreads review by David on May 28, 2017

A deeply contemplative book, “The Power of Silence” took me back to a quiet personal retreat I made, at a Cistercian Monastery, many years ago. The subtitle, “Against the Dictatorship of Noise” may strike a chord with many in our current day, as we are perpetually bombarded with media of every descr......more

Goodreads review by Manny on July 08, 2018

The Power of Silence is an important book for our age. T.S. Eliot in is his masterpiece work, The Four Quartets summarized the state of humanity in the modern world as “Distracted from distraction by distraction.” Cardinal Sarah has a variation on this theme: that in the modern world a dictatorship......more


Quotes

“Provides a treasure trove of profound commentary on the sacredness of silence for the pursuit of a serious spiritual life in a world dominated by the dictatorship of noise.” Fr. Donald Haggerty, author of The Contemplative Hunger

“This book shows Cardinal Sarah to be one of the most spiritually alert churchmen of our time.” Bishop Robert Barron, creator and host, Catholicism video series

“It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of this profound, uniquely beautiful book.” Michael D. O’Brien, author of Father Elijah: An Apocalypse