Reading: “Word” by Madeleine L’Engle
I, who live by words, am wordless when I try my words in prayer. All language turns To silence. Prayer will take my words and then Reveal their emptiness. The stilled voice learns To hold its peace, to listen with the heart To silence that is joy, is adoration. The self is shattered, all words torn apart In this strange patterned time of contemplation That, in time, breaks time, breaks words, breaks me, And then, in silence, leaves me healed and mended. I leave, returned to language, for I see Through words, even when all words are ended. I, who live by words, am wordless when I turn me to the Word to pray. Amen. Reflection When was the last time you sat in silence? When was the last time you took a few minutes, or even a moment, to quiet your body, quiet your mind, quiet your soul? Lately I have shifted the focus of my prayers. It used to be that I would only pray to God if I had something specific to ask for; or I would go to God in prayer assuming that I had to spend my time asking God for things (either on my own behalf or on behalf of others). But recently I learned there is another way to pray, a way that Madeleine L’Engle sums up so beautifully in her poem “Word.” Sometimes we can pray in silence. Sometimes the best prayers are simply approaching God and dwelling in God’s presence without agenda, without petition, without expectation. And these, I think, can be some of the most beautiful prayers because they are made of pure faith. To approach God in silence, to open yourself up to God’s presence without feeling like you have to do something, is trust: trust that you are allowed to be in God’s presence; trust that God already knows what you need; trust that you don’t have to rehearse your anxieties when you’re in the presence of perfect Love. --Jim Vitale Prayer Instead of the usual prayer, I have some homework for you today: dwell in silence. Carve out ten minutes today to pray in silence. Don’t have ten minutes? Then try five. Sit in silence. Quiet your soul and simply be in God’s loving presence.
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