(Silence) - Eucharistic Silence

8/13/2019 (Silence) - Eucharistic Silence

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Eucharistic SilenceHearing the Voice of God

Silence has universally been respected as a primary means of

experiencing the presence of God throughout history. The Psalms inthe Old Testament regularly refer to the importance of Silence,particularly in the presence of God. The New Testament presents esus

as going off alone to be in silent communion with !is "ather. The early#hurch and the ancient mon$s all celebrated the importance of silence

in one%s relationship with God. &n our own day, the #hurch is re'

emphasi(ing the importance of )being still) in the presence of God sothat we may )hear what the spirit says) to us, both as individuals and

as #hurch. *nd yes, & do recogni(e the irony of using words to explainsilence.

Silence During Mass

The General &nstruction on the +oman issal -G&+ places renewedemphasis on the importance of periods of silence during ass. This

comes as a surprise to many because there is a perception that ass

should not have any )dead air.) &n fact, the #hurch teaches in theG&+ that silence is important at several points in the ass so that we

can better participate spiritually in the /iturgy. &t is helpful to $nowwhere silence is recommended and why. There is a clear se0uence for

the silence at ass. That se0uence reveals many things about the

ass itself, as well as our proper disposition in relationship to God."our advancing stages occur1 preparation, recollection, meditation,

and praise. /et%s examine each one in light of what the General&nstruction says.

Preparation

Preparation occurs before ass. The #hurch recommends silence )beobserved in the church, in the sacristy, in the vesting room, and in

ad2acent areas, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the

sacred action in a devout and fitting manner.) -G&+ 34b. The clearpurpose of this silence is preparation. One should be spending time

considering what it is they are about to do, and what is about tohappen. 5hile this is particularly true of all the ministers involved in

the /iturgy, it is also true of the congregation. *fter all, as members ofthe congregation we are principle participants in the sacred action.

5hen we arrive at church, we should ta$e time to settle our hearts

and minds, calm our nerves, and try to find prayerful peace, leaving


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worldly cares behind. any devotional prayers can be helpful in thisregard, particularly the +osary.

Recollection

+ecollection is simply a calling to mind one%s failings and acommitment to correcting them ' basically, an examination of

conscience. &t is also a time of putting one%s thoughts together andfocusing them toward #hrist who acts in and through the ass. Two

places for silent recollection occur at the beginning of ass during the

Penitential +ite and #ollect prayer -often called )opening prayer).6uring the penitential rite we call to mind our sins, and as$ the prayer

of all God%s people on our behalf. 5e also confess our wea$nesses inthe prayer & #onfess to *lmighty God and as$ God%s mercy. This +ite

doesn%t )count) as confession, but see$s forgiveness and reconciliation

before celebrating the sacred mysteries .&n the #ollect, we are invited )/et us pray.) This invitation is normally

supposed to be followed by a moment of silence while we collect ourthoughts and prayers. The prayer that the priest offers is actually a

summation of all our prayers offered silently. &t also helps us focusthose prayers by relating them to the "east or celebration of the day.

Meditation

editation is basically pondering what one has heard and trying tounderstand it at a deeper level. The G&+ says1 )The /iturgy of the

5ord is to be celebrated in such a way as to promote meditation, andso any sort of hast that hinders recollection mus clearly be avoided.)-G&+ 47. +ecollection here means meditation. Silence for meditation

occurs fre0uently during the /iturgy of the 5ord. 8oth the first andsecond readings as well as the responsorial psalm should be followed

by a period of silence so that we may hear God spea$ing to us through

the words of Scripture. The Gospel is followed by the homily, which isliving commentary on the written 5ord of God. The G&+ recommends

a period of silence after the homily so that the words of the homily-another way that God spea$s to us can )soa$ in) and become part of

our understanding. Through hearing the 5ord of God and ta$ing it toheart -meditating on it we are moved to "aith, and so our meditationexpresses itself when we profess the #reed -5e believe in One

God . . .. That "aith is lived through our prayer on behalf of the#hurch, the world, our community, each other, and our own personal

needs in the Prayer of the "aithful -intentions. These )intentions) aresupposed to be brief invitations to prayer, and not mini'sermons or

0uasi'political statements. 9ach should end with a brief moment of


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silence so that we can offer our prayers. That silence ends with theinvitation )/ord, hear our prayer.)

Praise

Silent praise is offered to God during the period after #ommunion. Thisis a moment of supreme 2oy and than$sgiving. #hrist, the only source

of true freedom, and the source of our Salvation, has fed us with !isown flesh and blood in the form of bread and wine. *lways and

everywhere, the #hurch has encouraged us to spend time in silent

praise and than$sgiving after #ommunion -G&+ 34, ::. This periodof silent praise can extend for some time, depending on the willingness

of the priest and capacity of the congregation. The praise andthan$sgiving celebrated in the silence of our hearts flows over into

song when we stand and sing the !ymn of Than$sgiving after

#ommunion. Our 2oy is summed up again in the invitation )/et uspray) and our silent prayer is expressed through the words of the

Post'#ommunion -prayer after communion, sometimes erroneouslycalled the closing prayer. 5e are then blessed and dismissed to )love

and serve the /ord.)

Silence After Mass

The General &nstruction does not mention anything about silence in the

church after ass. !owever, many people wish to remain in silentprayer of than$sgiving before the tabernacle after ass. 5e should

respect their devotion by refraining from conversation until we areoutside the main body of the church. This custom, hallowed bycenturies of practice, has disappeared in many areas, including here at

Sacred !eart. Particularly during /ent, we should strive to recover thislost reverence for the sacred place of the church. 5e can do this by

encouraging our children to remain respectfully 0uiet until outside the

doors, and we ourselves can remind each other gently by respondingwith whispers when someone forgets -and we all forget fre0uently.

Perhaps even more beneficial would be to occasionally spend amoment or two in silent prayer after ass -though this can be

challenging with children.

Silence is essential in creating a sense of sacred prayerfulness. ore

importantly, silence of the heart is $ey to hearing the ;oice of Godspea$ to us. ost of our lives are filled with noise. Psychological

studies have shown that people who spend as little as


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noisy distractions of the world in the sacred space of the church we notonly enhance our experience of ass, but draw closer to God, the

source of true peace.

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(Silence) - Eucharistic Silence