Silence major part of Mass

Periods of silence during the Mass leave some Catholics squirming in their seats.

But those moments are crucial, said Elizabeth Simcoe, director of the diocesan Office of Prayer and Worship.

Silence, she said, serves a number of purposes for people: so they can collect their thoughts before entering into prayer, to foster and encourage meditation on the word of God, and "to spend some time contemplating what they are about to do together in the celebration of the Eucharist."

Quiet now

Before Mass at St. Vincent de Paul parish in Cobleskill, neighbors enjoy greeting one another and sharing their stories from the past week, according to Rev. Thomas Berardi, pastor. But right before Mass, he advises them to become quiet and enter into a prayerful atmosphere.

A similar thing occurs at St. Vincent de Paul parish in Albany, where a music minister sounds a chime a few minutes before Mass. According to Rev. Leo O'Brien, pastor, that's a signal for parishioners to prepare for Mass.

"We gather as friends, neighbors and community to worship as a parish," he noted. "Let us prepare our minds and hearts and whole beings for what we are about to do."

Silence, please

Silence comes into play at a number of moments in the Mass: during the opening prayer, when the priest says "let us pray," for example, and after the readings, the homily and Communion.

After the readings, silence beckons Catholics to meditate upon God's word, said Father O'Brien. One method of doing so, he noted, comes from the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, in which participants ask themselves, after hearing a reading, such questions as: What did I hear? What does it mean? What does it ask of me?

Silence after the homily allows more time to "meditate on God's word as it is explained to us" by the priest or deacon, said Ms. Simcoe, while the quiet after Communion provides time to "allow the Word to go deeper into our hearts."

Here and now

Entering into silence during Mass emphasizes "the importance of 'right now,'" Father O'Brien explained, and fosters fuller participation.

"We're thinking about what we're going to do this afternoon," he said. "We have lists in our Palm Pilots and our calendars and our minds. Our lives are often full of 'what's next?' and we can miss an important moment like listening to a child or hearing the tone of a voice. The only moment we have is now, so the [purpose] of silence is to listen, and to be present, and to enable us to reflect."

During the Easter Triduum at St. Vincent's in Cobleskill, the normal silences during Mass will be lengthened to "emphasize the solemnity of the Triduum," according to Father Berardi.

Shhhh...

Silence in personal prayer was a topic of discussion among young adults at a recent Theology on Tap gathering at the Orchard Tavern in Albany. According to the speaker, Sister Joan Mary Hartigan, CSJ, silence can clear out the clutter of thoughts and worries, and bring Catholics closer to hearing God speak in their lives.

"Some of the participants talked about thoughts getting in the way of prayer and how silence can tune us into the spirit of God within us," she said.

In a cacophonous world, silence is "an acquired taste; it's a learned skill," she continued.

Noises off

Sister Joan Mary observed that many saints and Christian mystics, including Thomas Merton, Teresa of Avila and Ignatius, extolled the positive value of silence and solitude. Jesus went into the desert -- into silence -- to pray to God.

Silence "gives you a center in your life that you can keep dipping into and returning to," she said.

In a culture "bombarded by noise," silence serves as an entrance into prayer, Ms. Simcoe said. "There's a hunger for silence, but sometimes you don't know you want it until you have the opportunity to experience it. The point [of silence] is to hear God."

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