"Liturgy Rich in Moments of Silence"
Holy
Father went on, "...for our
liturgies which, to facilitate authentic listening, must also be rich in
moments of silence and of non verbal acceptance. ... Silence has the capacity
to open a space in our inner being, a space in which God can dwell, which can
ensure that His Word remains within us, and that love for Him is rooted in our
minds and hearts, and animates our lives". -
The Latin Mass is a "liturgy rich in moments of silence." It is ONE of the many reasons I love the Mass of the Saints....
...silence is allowed, ingrained, cherished....like adoration.
So often, when there is a moment to quiet the soul it is filled up with music at Mass. Music can certainly be lovely and have it's place. But we NEED silence to hear the voice of God.
Beyond silence in the liturgy of the Mass, these words from the Pope lead me to look up more on silence. He's mentioned it before recently and Jesus was likely silent in the dessert during these 40 days...
"If you wish to make great progress in virtue, if you wish to arrive at perfection, then observe [holy] silence"(Rodriguez, ibid., II,6). How incredibly important silence is! Innumerable saints attest to this by the witness of their lives. Notwithstanding, there is something in us that makes us wish it really wasn’t true, or at least, that silence were really not so indispensable. Silence, you see, has very much the specter of death about it (don’t people speak of ‘dead silence’?), and what we want is life! Ah, the saints tell us, silence is like the very salt of life, both conserving it and giving it genuine savor. His life is certainly insipid, who does not know how to keep silence.
Thank you, Holy Father, for reminding me...calling me....to grow in virtue through silence. Convicting.
5 comments:
Allison, a few weeks back there was a pinned picture of a couple taking their vows prostate - do you have that link or can you tell me what that was within the ceremony? I don't know what to google to find it.
Briana
I do love that photo!! Your daughter will thank you for taking that someday, if she hasn't already. oh if only I could make more time for silence. Thanks for this helpful encouraging post, Allison. I know we need to make the time, and not excuses.
Allison~ I've received a few requests to open up “Pay It Forward” to posts from a bloggers own blog and I thought I'd give it a try. Although the original idea was to share what you've seen elsewhere on the internet, I recognize that each time we post something on our own blogs we are also sharing Good News, great tips, wonderful prayers, fabulous photos, scrumptious recipes, hilarious humor, unbelievable books, stories of goodwill, or good things that have knocked our socks off. I hope you’ll post something from your blog.
I'll leave the March linky open until March 14th. I can't wait to see what gets posted! http://alife-sizecatholicblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/ive-received-few-requests-to-open-up.html
Blessings!
We do not have a silent moment during our Sunday mass. The other parishes are the same in our town with few options for Catholics. Quite honestly I'm worn out from it. I almost stopped going to mass last year because of the constant music noise. Of course I'm not talking about little ones and babies here. I'm referring to the constant singing. It never stops. if the choir isn't singing the choir director plays guitar music. There is no time for meditation/silent prayer or even time to gather your thoughts before Holy Communion.After mass ends our family does kneel and pray for a few minutes. Sorry, Allison I don't mean to vent but most people I know love the music and I feel very out place here. Thank You for posting the Holy father's comments.
Gardenia - I hope so. Praying for silence for you and me.
Holly - I thought it was such a wonderful idea before. Thanks for reminding me, will check it out.
Kathy - prayers too for you to find the silent reverence you seek!
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