Sounds and Silence

All of us at the Presbytery - Fr Andy, Bangor, Mash, Freddie and I - have been thinking about sounds and silence. Like all of us, we can't help noticing the quiet outside. Most mornings Crystal Glen, our street, gets quite busy at rush hour, because it's a good rat run down from Thornhill or Llanishen towards town. But now, of course at 8.30, peak time, it's so quiet. 

On the other hand, we seem to be noticing sounds. Fr Andy was convinced he could hear ambulance sirens several times today, but at least one was the squeaks of the rubbish removal lorry as it tips up!  On a more pleasant note, we've noticed more birdsong. Or is it just that against more silence you notice it more?

Now I don't want to shock you, but recently Andy had a bird in his bedroom - of the feathered variety, of course. It must have got in through a slightly opened window. Andy still hasn't decided what kind of bird it was. It happened to me once too. As I returned to St Brigid's from celebrating Mass at St Paul's or Christ the King one day I was greeted by Mary, our former housekeeper, rushing out to tell me in a loud voice, audible across the street I'm sure, "Fr Matthew, there's a bird in your bedroom!"

I also have been listening more to music on the radio and on YouTube, exploring composers, groups etc that I have always meant to find out about, but never quite got around to. Similarly I've taken up one or two books that have been sitting there. I listened to "A History of the World in 100 Objects" by Neil MacGregor, then Director of the British Museum, about 10 years ago on the radio, was very impressed and bought the book - which has sat there on the chest of drawers ever since, a hefty volume. Now it's my bedtime reading...

And then there's silence. I've always been OK with silence, especially since a semi-sabbatical period 20 years ago. As parish priest of one of the biggest set-ups in Wales I can easily get wrapped up in busy-ness if I'm not careful. So it's good to have more chance to be quiet. When we got together to have a cup of tea this afternoon, I went to turn on the telly, and Andy said "Let's leave it off..." so we did and chatted - quietly. 

So here are Simon and Garfunkel singing the beautiful "Sound of Silence" at their famous Concert in Central Park, New York, in 1981 in front of over 500,000 people.

>