Warning: Spoilers Ahead

Silence can be so un-nerving.  This movie had plenty of it, but strangely enough, I found it very relaxing.  When I first went on a silent retreat which lasted 8 days, it was exhausting.  The first two days felt like pure torture.  But as the retreat continued, the silence began to become welcome.  It was in the silence that I encountered the Lord.  Without distraction.  Without noise.  In that silence, the voice of the Lord became so clear.

The monsters in this movie were almost like the guardians of the silence.  Whenever anyone made any loud noises, the monsters came to kill them.  Now this is not to intended to make the monsters seem like the heroes of this movie, but I think they reveal something to us.  These huge abominations rise up and hunt when the sacred silence in broken.  This speaks of sin.  Sin which enters into our lives when we distract ourselves from our time with the Lord.  Think of how much time we spend in a noisy environment.  At work, at home, with friends – all of these spaces are full of noise.  Noise itself is not the enemy, but separation from God’s love can happen all to quickly when we disregard his loving whispers.

One of the most profound moments in the movie was when the father chose to sacrifice himself to save his children.  He tells his children that he loves them.  He speaks to the daughter who has been suffering from guilt for so long, and he reminds her that he has always loved her.  She, like us so very often, was living in a world of guilt and self-pity because of an action she had done in the past.  She felt that she was not loved.  Is there any sin too great that will separate us from the love of God?  The answer is: only the unconfessed sin.  The one we bury in our hearts, for no-one to see, that is the wall which keeps us from experiencing the love of God.  But God does not stop loving us.  He sent his only Son to die for us, so that we might have the opportunity to experience the joy of eternity with Him.

The other moment in this movie which bothered me was the nail.  That nail which caused so much pain.  It was sticking up, and it pierced the foot of the mother as she was seeking shelter.  That nail is analogous to sin.  It hurts us.  It causes us to trip.  It remains, stained with our blood.  That is sin.  But we know the love of God.  He allowed himself to be nailed to the Cross so that we would not experience the suffering that comes from separation from Him.  He does not desire us to fall, but rather He wants us to allow Him to carry us.  When we leave his arms, that nail remains, waiting for us.  In Confession we are healed of our wounds.

This movie left me with a profound feeling of peace.  Not for the conclusion, but for the silence which opened my ears to again hear the voice of the Lord.  May you soon encounter his gentle whisper and remain in his love.