When Silence Is Complicity

In this episode of the Infinitely Precious Podcast, James Henry reflects on the tension between silence and speech in the wake of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, drawing deeply on Dr. King’s reminder that history remembers “the silence of our friends.” While honoring silence as a vital spiritual practice for grounding, centering, and self-awareness, James challenges listeners to consider how silence can also become complicity in the face of injustice. From a place of contemplative grounding rather than anger, he invites listeners to speak and act nonviolently on behalf of those who are marginalized or mistreated, embodying love, justice, and courage. Rooted in the vision of God’s reign—marked by compassion, equity, and belonging—this episode calls us to ensure that our silence serves reflection, not avoidance, and that our voices rise when love and justice require them, always remembering that we speak because we are infinitely precious and unconditionally loved.

Creators and Guests

Host

James Henry

What is Infinitely Precious?

Everyone is infinitely precious and unconditionally loved for the gift they already are. Through affirmation and practice, each of us can begin to live from a place of recognizing our own preciousness and its extension in to everyone and everything else.

intro: 00:00

Welcome to the infinitely precious podcast produced by infinitely precious LLC. Your host is James Henry. Remember, you are infinitely precious and unconditionally loved for the gift you already are.

James: 00:12

Hello, beloved. It's me, James, and I'm here to talk with you again this week about something that's been on my mind, which is what I usually talk to you all about. Thanks so much for joining us here at the Infinitely Precious podcast. I love the opportunity to join with you, to be allowed to be your companion on this journey and share some of my thoughts. Hopefully, they are helpful to you.

James: 00:40

And if they are, I encourage you and welcome you sharing this with others. But no pressure. If that feels right, do it. If it doesn't, that's Okay too. Yesterday was the day that we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.

James: 01:03

Day. And here in Falls Church, Virginia, where I live, there was a symbolic march with signs and then a program and breakout groups at one of the local churches here. In preparing to speak at that event, I was looking through some of the things that Martin Luther King said. And one that stuck with me and actually helped fill out what I had to say in my address yesterday is one that I want to reflect on with you today. We often talk about silence here in the Infinitely Precious podcast as a spaciousness, as an openness, as a place to go to kind of collect ourselves, to ground ourselves, to center ourselves.

James: 02:01

We use those kinds of terms. But I came to think of silence in a different kind of way. And neither one none of the ways are right or wrong. They just are. But the statement that caused me, indicted me, invited me to rethink and reframe my own thoughts was this by Doctor.

James: 02:27

King. He said, In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends. I've been reflecting on silence. And there is certainly a very important place in our lives for silence.

James: 03:08

I believe that silence is a good beginning place. It's a place to ground ourselves, to be certain that before we react that we're clear about who we are and the way we're meant to act. But there are times in our lives when silence can be complicity with the status quo, with the mistreatment of our sisters and brothers in the world. It can be the avoidance of being a responsible human being, of standing up for what we believe to be right. So while there is a place for silence, and you'll hear about silence for as long as I'm talking about being infinitely precious as part of this podcast, There is also a time for speech.

James: 04:10

One of my favorite teachers, Father Richard Rohr, founded an entire center in Albuquerque, New Mexico very intentionally and named it the Center for Action and Contemplation because he believes that action should lead the way. And then contemplation follow after it. Sometimes we completely step away from the world in moments of contemplation, and there are moments to do that. But there are also moments when we are called upon to engage, when we see injustice, when we see wrong, when we see people being mistreated for the color of their skin or their accent, their nationality of origin, their religious affiliation or lack thereof, their legal status as immigrants in our country. Those are never opportunities, ought never to be opportunities for us to remain silent.

James: 05:23

When we see anyone being mistreated, That is a call to us to stand up. Now one of the things I got to talk about yesterday in my conversation was the legacy of nonviolence that Doctor. King left for us. And so when we stand up, when we let our voice be heard, that voice can be spoken peacefully. Peacefully, and it can be done in a nonviolent way.

James: 06:03

But certainly it is our call if we are truly following a path, in this case for me the path of Jesus, nonviolence certainly guided Jesus' path. Violence was done to him, but ultimately his path was not one of violence perpetrated by him. If I'm to follow his path, I indeed must be nonviolent, but I also must speak. I also must advocate on behalf of those who are not able to advocate for themselves. Never has that been more important than it is right now in the world in which we live.

James: 06:56

People are discounted for their poverty, for their immigration status, for the color of their skin and the accents that they speak, and from the place they're from. All of those kinds of items that are superficial at best are not the ways by which we are meant to see one another. Certainly, God loves us all. God sees us all. God embraces us all.

James: 07:34

God invites us all to be part of the family, the human family. And while it's easy to perpetrate and perpetuate fear because that's a natural part of our lives, We must from a place of courage, from a place that grows from our deep silence where we come to know who we are, speak truth. Or else we may find ourselves truly to be saying that which is wrong in our world is okay. Because it isn't. And we must not let evil stand.

James: 08:27

Let injustice stand. Let disregard for other human beings stand. We must do something different. Now, I would be the first to say to you that to be a voice in this world is to draw the ire of those who would perpetuate violence and perpetrate violence. We're seeing that all over The United States right now.

James: 08:57

When someone stands even peacefully for those who are being discounted, those people face things like tear gas and arrest because of it and other kinds of violence. Sometimes even violence that leads to death perpetrated by authorities beyond their mandate when they do perpetrate that violence. It is hard to speak into that space. It is hard to be a voice. And so from a place of silence, from a place of grounding, from a place of center, Not from a place of anger, but from a place of love.

James: 10:08

We are called to speak. We are called to stand up because everyone matters. This past Sunday in worship in the midst of our series, I'm doing a series in my work life. As the pastor of a church, we're doing a series on the Lord's Prayer. And we were looking at the third phrase, your queendom, your kingdom, your reign come.

James: 10:43

And it's a desire, a prayer that God's reign would be over us. And as we pray for that, what are we asking? Are we asking to be a part of this solution? What does the kingdom of God look like, the queendom of God look like, the reign of God look like? It looks like kindness and justice.

James: 11:07

It looks like equal treatment. It looks like a diverse set of faces and people and nationalities and languages and even perhaps religions and places of faith. All of those have a spot at the table. And if that is what the reign of God looks like, ought we not to be moving in that direction, to be speaking up for those who aren't able to speak for themselves. So when we see the mistreatment of our fellow human beings, we are invited to do something, say something about it.

James: 11:45

It's an interesting thing in the aftermath of nineeleven, that violent event that happened to The United States. One of the catchphrases that kept coming up for people because, you know, anything could be dangerous around us or some group could be dangerous, something like that. And out of a place of fear, but I also think for me for a place of grounding, when you see something, say something. Now be sure it's something you're seeing and be sure the place you're coming from is a right place for you. But we are called to speak.

James: 12:30

There is a time for silence. There's a time and a place for everything under heaven. There is a time for silence and grounding. For me, it's a daily practice, But out of that silence, I must also speak. I must also let the voice of justice, of hope, of love, of grace, of healing, wholeness, completeness, as best I can rise up from me as well.

James: 13:02

So my invitation to you, my invitation to myself is to be certain that we find moments of silence, but also not to let our silence become complicity in the way things are. Listen, wherever you find yourself, my friend, on this journey in life, If silence is all you've got right now and you cannot speak for whatever reason overwhelms you, remember no matter what, you are infinitely precious. You are unconditionally loved for the gift you already are. And that's the most important thing to remember. It's from that place that we speak.

James: 13:47

So until the next time, I wish you all the best. Listen, Speak when you can. Be sure your silence is not complicity, but your silence is only grounding. And speak when you can. Until the next time.