Homily on Silence December 2 and 3
2023
Jesus says
in our short Gospel, three different times, that we should Watch!
What better
way to “watch” than to sit in silence for a few minutes in adoration of Jesus
truly among us in the Eucharist.
That is what
we are going to be doing at the end of today’s Mass – just a few minutes of
silence.
One of the
best books I have ever read is titled “The Power of Silence” by Cardinal Robert
Sarah, and the subtitle is “The Dictatorship of Noise” and I cannot recommend
it highly enough.
And I would
just like to share a few amazing quotes from it
First of
all, Cardinal Sarah teaches “Silence is not an absence…on the contrary it is
the manifestation of a presence.”
Last night,
when we ended Mass with a few minutes of silent adoration at St. Lawrence, you
could have heard a pin drop but it was also really clear that the Holy Spirit
was there in our midst…
Secondly, a question
I get a lot is “Father, is it a sin to get distracted in prayer and is it a sin
to get distracted at Mass?” And so I am
happy to report that the Catechism says it is in no way a sin to
get distracted…it says all that is necessary when you find yourself distracted
at Mass and prayer is to just make a quick prayer “Jesus, I was distracted…I
know it is not a sin, help me to refocus on you!”
Cardinal
Sarah also shares a beautiful way to move forward from distractions, and he
talks about how we get all these things thrown at us when we try to be silent,
but he says during prayer time it is absolutely necessary to not to listen or
engage with them, and that those temptations and distractions come to
us, but they are not FROM us…
Finally,
Cardinal Sarah says this “We are bombarded by noise and noise is often a
deceptive and addictive tranquilizer…noise stubbornly hates silence, and our
culture detests the things that silence brings us to…encounter, wonder, and
kneeling before God”
I look
forward to ending Mass this morning with a few minutes of silent adoration kneeling
before God!
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