Silence

Silence is fullness of life.

Silence is patience.

Silence is humility.

Silence is meekness.

Silence is magnanimity.

Silence is faith.

Silence is wisdom.

Silence is prayer.

Silence is a work of self-control.

Silence beats time.

Silence awakens inner energy.

Silence makes the journey inwards easier.

Silence is the wisdom of the mind, of the heart, of the fantasy and of the imagination.

Silence makes conversation real.

Silence helps handle conflicts.

God is found in silence.

Prayer

Teach me to listen, Lord,

to those nearest me, my family,

my friends, my co-workers.

Help me to be aware that no matter what

words I hear, the message is,

“Accept the person that I am. Listen to me.”

Teach me to listen, Lord,

to those far from me –

the whisper of the hopeless,

the plea of the forgotten,

the cry of the anguished.

Teach me to listen, Lord, to myself.

Help me to be less afraid, to trust

          the voice inside – in the deepest part of me.

Teach me to listen, Lord,

for your voice,

     in busyness and in boredom,

in certainty and in doubt,

in noise and in silence.

Teach me Lord, to listen.

Adapted from ‘Living Moments of Silence’ – J. Maurus, ©1999.