"Silence is God's first language"
~John of the Cross, 16th century mystic
We've been offering The Great Silence since the fall of 2012 and this was our eighth retreat, our first Lenten Experience. We found a little book in bookstore at the Cenacle Retreat House in Houston called Living Lent with Love. What a simple and lovely little booklet to journey with. Each day with a Scripture, a quote from the writings and homilies of Pope Francis, and a little prayer by Sr. Chris Koellhoffer, I.H.M.
Our world seems to be in such disarray. Where once we seemed ready to embrace people who are different from us, it seems we have turned back in time. It seems that our leaders and many of our fellow people are no longer able to be kind ... unless you are one of "their kind." My desire is to expand my heart in love for the world and all of its people, maybe today even more so for those who are different from me. Isn't that what Jesus did?
As we gather together for The Great Silence we make up a small pilgrim community alone for 3 days in the silence but we are never separated from the people of the world and all of its amazing creatures, and as we bask in the beauty of our surrounding nature I feel at one with the cosmos. We always provide prayer stations that our silent retreatants can interact with and one of them that endures is a cloth world map in which we place small tokens and pray. This year we rang a bell with each prayer inviting the others in our midst to join us in prayer.
May peace be yours now and always, Cindy
Our world seems to be in such disarray. Where once we seemed ready to embrace people who are different from us, it seems we have turned back in time. It seems that our leaders and many of our fellow people are no longer able to be kind ... unless you are one of "their kind." My desire is to expand my heart in love for the world and all of its people, maybe today even more so for those who are different from me. Isn't that what Jesus did?
As we gather together for The Great Silence we make up a small pilgrim community alone for 3 days in the silence but we are never separated from the people of the world and all of its amazing creatures, and as we bask in the beauty of our surrounding nature I feel at one with the cosmos. We always provide prayer stations that our silent retreatants can interact with and one of them that endures is a cloth world map in which we place small tokens and pray. This year we rang a bell with each prayer inviting the others in our midst to join us in prayer.
Uphold, O God, all those who are
persecuted or imprisoned for their beliefs.
Be to them a light showing the way ahead;
a rock giving them strength to stand;
a song singing of all things overcome.
~Richard Harries, The Book of a Thousand Prayers
May peace be yours now and always, Cindy
