Tag: Silence
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Shh, Be Quiet, It’s Advent.
A new liturgical year begins this coming Sunday, December 2, 2018, with the First Sunday of Advent. The Season of Advent consists of the four Sundays before Christmas. The liturgical color for Advent is purple or sometimes blue. We will begin a new liturgical cycle of seasons, feasts and fasts, and scripture lessons. This year Read more
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Prayer Begins When the Words End
Psalm 62:1. “For God alone my soul in silence waits; from him comes my salvation.” One Sunday, years ago, I knelt to pray before the liturgy began, as was my usual practice. I always had something to tell or ask God. This day, however, was different. I had no words. It wasn’t that I had Read more
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Lent with the Desert Fathers: Fasting From Words
A Word from the Desert Abba Macarius the Great said to the brothers at Scetis, when he dismissed the assembly, ‘Flee, my brothers.’ One of the old men asked him, ‘Where could we flee to beyond the desert?’ He put his finger on his lips and said, ‘Flee that,’ and he went into his cell, Read more
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Silence, the Way Home
The 14th century Sufi poet and mystic, Rumi, wrote, “Return to the root of the root of yourself.”¹ His words remind me that I often live on the periphery or circumference of life, disconnected from the root of my being and existence. To “return to the root of the root” of myself means returning to Read more
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A Spiritual Pilgrimage
You need a spiritual pilgrimage. Begin by closing your mouth. – The Sayings of the Egyptian Fathers (Quoted by John McGuckin in The Mystical Book of Chapters, 47). Read more
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St. Joseph, a Man of Silence
Today, March 19, the Episcopal Church celebrates the Feast of St. Joseph, his life and faith. St. Joseph was raised up to be the guardian of God’s incarnate Son and the spouse of his virgin mother. The gospel reading for this feast is Luke 2:41-52, the story of Jesus in the temple at the age of twelve. Read more
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You Should Observe Silence
And therefore you should observe silence! In that manner the Word can be uttered and heard. For surely, if you choose to speak God must fall silent. There is no better way of serving the Word than by silence and by listening. If you go out of yourself, you may be certain that God will Read more
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The Silence of Music – Angelic Light: Music From Eastern Cathedrals
In a world of busyness, noise, and distraction one sometimes seeks a place of stillness, silence, and centeredness. Sometimes this means making a change in our external circumstances, always, though, it is about our inner enviroment. I have found that the loudest voices and the longest to-do lists are usually within me and not around Read more
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St. John of the Cross on “Our Most Important Task”
“Our most important task consists in remaining silent before this great God, silent with our desires as well as with our tongue. He understands only one language, that of silent love.” – St. John of the Cross in a letter to a Carmelite nun Related post: The Feast of St. John of the Cross – Read more
Interrupting the Silence 