Now the Silence
Now the Silence. Jaroslav Vajda* (1919-2008).
This is the author’s most frequently published hymn, first appearing in the Lutheran publication, This Day 20/5 (May 1968), for which he was then the editor. The hymn is unusual in its construction, the entire hymn containing nineteen lines with no punctuation. The author notes that this hymn, more than any other ‘proved a catalyst for my hymn writing’ (Vajda, 1987, p. 158).
Noting that the idea came to him while he was shaving, the author shares the origins of the hymn:
Somewhere in the back of my mind, during my previous eighteen years in the full-time parish ministry, I was accumulating reasons and benefits in worship. I have felt that we...
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "Now the Silence."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 10 Dec. 2025.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/n/now-the-silence>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "Now the Silence."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed December 10, 2025,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/n/now-the-silence.