July 2, 2020 - The Power of Silence!

I have just finished reading Cardinal Sarah' s recent book: "THE POWER OF SILENCE: Against the Dictatorship of Noise.” If you want to improve your prayer life and be able to hear God speak to you personally, I invite you to read this book and I can assure you that you will find at least "one gem" that can help your unique relationship with God. It is a free gift that you cannot refuse: since our parish has access to FORMED ( click here to access "The Power Of Silence:Against the Dictatorship of Noise)"

This book is so rich with so many insights that I will not attempt to summarize it. I will simply give you an example on how it has helped one of our parishioners who for the last few months has been very sick and is bed-ridden. To maintain confidentiality, I will call this parishioner John. Throughout his life, John has had a great love for God and the Church. The combination of his major illness and the current pandemic has caused him much suffering and isolation. Several days ago, he reached out to me to seek some spiritual consolation. I simply told him to reflect on the Power of Silence and I shared "one gem" that I had discovered in Cardinal Sarah' s book: "GOD IS SILENCE...HEAVEN IS SILENCE.”

John just called me back to say how helpful those words have been to him. In the silence of his room, in his isolation and suffering, those words have assisted him in rediscovering the continuous presence of God.  In this connection, it is worth noting that Cardinal Sarah gives several examples about the Power of Silence felt in the presence of someone very sick and no longer able to speak. He says, "Sickness is an anticipation of the Silence of Eternity." While John is able to speak, his current isolation reduces greatly his opportunities to communicate.

You may not feel as isolated as John. You may not be as sick as John. You may not have John's spirituality. However, you may still reflect on this little gem that "God is Silence.” As Pope Benedict XVI said so well: "God is Heaven. Heaven is God." We do not have to die physically to be in Heaven. To be in Heaven is to be with God, to be united with Him.  As St John Paul II emphasized,  "Mass is Heaven on Earth.”  Jesus Christ, who is truly God, is present at every Mass and when we receive the Eucharist, we truly receive God and are in communion with Him. Next time you receive the Eucharist, practice silence when you go back to your pew, you do not have to talk to God (Jesus); ask the Holy Spirit in advance to help you take away any noises, any distractions that may be in your mind and heart so that you can listen to God speaking through His Silence. 

To find the peace of Heaven on earth, this special union with God, Cardinal Sarah invites you to reflect on the Power of Silence in any aspect of your daily life (not just prayer). God speaks through His Silence  (including through the Beauty and Silence of His Creation); you cannot hear God when surrounded by all the noises of our world and of our own mind/heart, you can find God in these rare moments of total silence. You can practice this silence while Adoring Jesus present in the tabernacle or exposed in the Blessed Sacrament on the altar. Cardinal Sarah quotes the exchange between St John Vianney and an old man spending hours in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in total silence. St John Vianney asked the old man, "What do you do while in Adoration?" The old man has a simple and profound answer, "I look at HIM and HE looks at me." 

I am confident that you can find the gem that God wants you to discover in reading "The Power of Silence.” I then invite you to be an evangelizer and share this gem with your friends and family. Let me know if you would be interested in having a small group discussion of this book. 

May the Holy Spirit help you to hear the silent whispers of God in your heart!

One in Christ,

Fr. Alain