It is curious to think in our day that one of the most beautiful aspects of the Latin Rite Liturgy is the presence of silence. I say curious because it is so little found today or fostered. To do so seems to violate the freedom of distraction that individuals fight to maintain. A confrontation with silence is too frightening a thing in a culture that thrives on perpetual diversion. Any attempt to speak of the value of silence is met with either polite disregard or suspicion. Recently, I came across an article describing concern for maintaining a prayerful setting for worship as a reflection of narcissism; claiming that external distractions pull people out of focus on self and internal distractions that masquerade as prayer; allowing people to shift their prayers on to the needs of those around them. The absurdity of such an argument is unnecessary to address. Rather, in the weeks to come I would like to reconsider a classic writing on liturgy - Romano Guardinis Meditations Before Mass. He begins by emphasizing what is sorely needed and painfully absent in our day: Stillness.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 01:28:52 +0000
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