I mentioned the other day that for the beginning of Advent, I invited the kids to pray in silence at the start of class. A friend of mine who used to be a 6th grade catechist remarked, “Oh, that’s the way I prayed with them almost all of the time.” I thought that was very refreshing. We sometimes think of prayer as a space that we have to fill up with words, when what we really need is to allow God to fill that space. Silence is one of the most profound ways that God talks to us. That doesn’t mean that in the midst of silence, we hear a voice. It means that the silence itself is God “speaking” to us. Kids could use more silence. What a gift we can offer them if we built silence into our sessions.
How about you? What role does silence play in your life? in your teaching?
I was thinking at Mass the other day that we really need more than a few seconds after each reading to let the Word “speak” to us. It’s too bad some pastors, mine included, feel that those times of silent reflection which are built into the liturgy are awkward. Give it a chance. People adapt.
Lauretta, I agree. Where else would you recommend silence in the Mass?
Whenever the priest says “Let us pray”, a moment of silence is appropriate in order to to focus our thoughts.
A brief silence after the homily gives the assembly time to think about what they have just heard.
Of course we need time to reflect silently after communion.
It’s vital that we rediscover silent reflection and teach our children the value of it as well. I think it was St. Ignatius of Antioch who said that it is in silence that we can find Christ. Silence during liturgy, or during personal reflection is a form of spirituality.
I agree, Lauretta. I would also like to see some silence right before the Mass begins. Often, people are chatting away right up to and during the welcome by the cantor or commentator.