Making Time for Quiet in our Life…

Some of our new parishioners have complimented how our Masses at St. Clare have built in ‘quiet time’ that makes it feel more prayerful. But maybe some are wondering why we do that.

Why do we have various times of silence during the Mass?

♦ Overall, in our noisy lives we need times of silence to quiet ourselves down enough to hear and experience God’s presence.

♦ Our quiet time at the beginning of Mass in the Penitential Rite allows us to reflect upon how well we are living out our Christian life and ask God’s forgiveness for any and all failings we have made in the past week.

♦ Our quiet time after each of the Scripture readings allows the Word of God to ‘sink in’ a bit; this is a good time to think about a particular word or phrase you just heard in the reading that inspired or challenged you.

♦ Our quiet time after Holy Communion gives us time to reflect on the power of the Eucharist we just received. This is a time to experience full ‘communion’ with God and the whole Body of Christ throughout the world; also a time to express gratitude to God for your blessings. Reminder; the quiet time comes AFTER we sing the Communion song together, which is our prayer as a community while the Communion Rite is taking place. Even if you choose not to sing, read and pray along with the words of the song as a prayer with everyone else.

♦ I remind you that when we are in the main church (worship area), we are to be quiet except during Mass. Socializing can be done in our big gathering space. This allows space and time for those who want to remain after Mass or come early for quiet prayer, which I strongly encourage!

♦ Please know that our church is open throughout the day for you to stop by for quiet prayer in the Reservation Chapel with the Real Presence of Jesus in the tabernacle; think about coming by before or after work or during a lunch break!

God’s Peace and Quiet to you,
Fr. Jim Deiters

P.S. Don’t forget about our “Quiet on Cross Street” which is an hour of silence in Eucharistic Adoration every Tuesday night 6—7 p.m.