Reflections: Silence and Liturgy (Part 2 of 3)

In 2000, Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Ratzinger, offered an insight into the silence of the liturgy. “We respond, by singing and praying to the God who addresses us, but the greater mystery, surpassing all words, summons us to silence. It must, of course, be a silence with content, not just the absence of speech and action. We should expect the liturgy to give us a positive stillness that will restore us.”

Pope Benedict described the liturgical silence as a “silence with content … a positive stillness.”  He meant that our silence in prayer is not to be an emptying meditation alone. Instead, silence in prayer is an occasion to more deeply understand the Mass itself.

Quotes:

"To pray is to talk to God, but about what? About Him, about yourself; joys, sorrows, successes, and failures, noble ambitions, daily worries, weaknesses! And acts of thanksgiving and petitions: and Love and reparation. In a word: to get to know Him and to get to know yourself: to get acquainted." (Saint Josemaria Escriva)

"Prayer gives us strength for great ideals, for keeping up our faith, charity, purity, generosity; prayer gives us strength to rise up from indifference and guilt, if we have had the misfortune to give in to temptation and weakness. Prayer gives us light by which to see and to judge from God's perspective and from eternity. That is why you must not give up on praying!" (Pope John Paul II)

Reflections: Silence and Liturgy

Reflections: Silence and Liturgy (Part 1 of 3)

The reason the Church calls for silence, and a great deal of silence, during the liturgy of the Mass.  Silence amplifies the reality of what we experience.  Silence is a proper response to a reality which words cannot express—in the case of the Mass, to the reality of God’s presence.

We are invited to silence several times during the Mass.  We are first of all called to be silent before Mass begins.  We need that space of time to recollect ourselves in order to enter into prayer. This is why there should be no video presentations or even choir rehearsal during those five or 10 minutes before Mass begins.

We are then called to silence as we recall and repent of our sins.  We are called to silent reflection after each Scriptural reading, and after the homily.  We are all called to silence after we have received Holy Communion.  And we are invited, at the conclusion of Mass, to kneel down for a silent prayer of Thanksgiving before departing for the parking lot.

These periods of silence are intended to bring reality into focus.  At Mass we express to God our contrition, we hear his word, and we receive his physical presence sacramentally.  These realities go beyond our comprehension.  To hear and understand the Word of God is an expression of his great love for us.  To receive the body of Christ is the deepest kind of communion with God.  The silence in the liturgy punctuates a rich and profound time of prayer with opportunities to reflect on the reality of our experience.   The silence of the liturgy is a gift which helps us to understand the greatest gifts we can receive.

….continued next week