Eloquent silence

Is it possible to say a lot without uttering a single word? It must be possible. Our Lord Jesus Christ said nothing before Herod but his silence spoke volumes. Sir Thomas More was condemned to death, not because he said anything against the king and policies, but because he kept silent. Everyone understood what his silence meant.

Recently a great woman died who also said nothing at all in public but whose silence was eloquent. This was Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI of England, and mother of the present reigning Queen Elizabeth II. The old lady – over a hundred years old – was known simply as the "Queen Mother" and was a much loved person. At her death the English Catholic newspaper, The Tablet of London, wrote the following editorial entitled "The Passing of a Great Lady":

…Her sense of duty could be seen even in her physical posture, always seated with ramrod-straight back. She had a huge sense of fun, but beneath it was a steel will. She never changed, and since she never thrust her opinions on anyone, never giving interviews, she did not need to. Her role in the royal family was unique. When the Queen [Elizabeth II] and her family sought to adapt to a society which in the sixties had lost the sense of deference, the Queen Mother simply carried on being herself, supplying a sense of continuity, never afraid of anyone or any situation.

In the same issue of The Tablet Lady Stafford describes the Queen Mother as follows:

She stood for moral values. She was not at all acquisitive. She felt sympathy for people in trouble and she felt the need to help them. Her charitable activities were absolutely genuine and from the heart, not just because she was expected to do it but because she felt the need to do it.

In her younger days, when her husband and she were the reigning monarchs, they both won the love of the people by staying in London during all the bombings in the Second World War. As soon as a place was devastated by German bombs, the King and Queen were there, visiting the homeless. They did not have to say anything. Their presence was eloquent enough.

Silence can be eloquent. Our over-talkative officials could perhaps learn that lesson.