Silence is golden

We have a small ‘Going Deeper’ group in our parish.  We meet monthly, and our meetings are devoted to saying Evening Prayer together, study of a Carmelite text, and silent prayer.  We were discussing a poem by St Therese of Lisieux last night and the theme of silence came up in connection with Our Lady.  Silence is a beautiful thing for its own sake, but someone pointed out the paradox that sometimes silence speaks.  How can silence speak? When you wax enthusiastic to a companion about something – a film or a play for example that you have seen together with your companion – a response of silence suggests that your companion does not agree.  On the other hand, one of the loveliest experiences of marriage or close friendship is that you can happily be silent together for periods of time. Then of course there are times when words just cannot cut it – you are so overwhelmed by seeing something spectacularly beautiful or equally by something horrific like Auschwitz, that you can find no words that seem in any way adequate. Your silence in the face of such experiences speaks volumes.     

Intercessions:

Brian Davis – cancer

Marie, Bernard (and wife Angela caring for him) - cancer

Siena, Elara – sick children

Wojtek – massive heart attack leaving him incapacitated

David - housebound

Sophia – blind infant