There are times, though, when physical silence can be overwhelming in its own way, and awe-inspiring. I know that all I could hear was my heart-beating and my breath. It was a bit unnerving, even frightening, as I felt quite alone. Nothing and no-one but me and my thoughts. The silence was, as they say, nearly palpable.
Silence can be a foretaste of our end-time.
Silent as the grave summarizes the experience. This is the first silence - the experience of feeling alone, not in control of our lives, and mortal. When we listen to this silence, it can teach us some hard truths. We know prayers that are 'collected' into our prayer of the day - the Collect of the Day. We know the Eucharistic Prayer that is the heart of our Sunday worship.