July 21

I was away from an Internet connection yesterday, my apologies for the late post.

The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

The Rule of St. Benedict: Chapter 42

Silence is a diversity.  I have heard the silence of anger burning.  I have heard the silence of paralyzing fear or guilt.  I have heard the silence of hopeful anticipation and the silence of green beauty.  I have heard the silence of safety and contentedness in the presence of loved ones and of the Beloved.

The silence after Compline is to be a fertile silence into which are planted words of peace and gentleness from Holy Scripture.  It is to be a silence of soul as well as sound, blooming with joy and love among the community.

Noise is also diverse.  We are each settled upon, like many-splendored moss-covered stones in misty, damp Ireland, by the noises that fill the atmosphere of our lives.  But we, unlike stones, are able to adjust the air in which we live.  We can shut the laptop, turn off the television, put down the smartphone.

Let us not simply watch or read about today's events in our Church, but let us find the silent place within ourselves to offer our sincere prayers for our new Archbishop, that he may, in silence, hear the voice of the Spirit in the midst of all the commotion.

Br. Chad