October, 2007 Calendar In This Issue: Conversion: Shared Traditions, Faithfully Observed Advent The Susan Tree A Journey Through Prayer Episcopal 101 Steps for a Meditation Liturgical Silence

Reprint of an article by
The Rev. Thomas McCart, Rector
St. Paul's, Rochester, New York

One of my passions is liturgy. Liturgy is at the heart of Anglicanism. In fact, the creation of the first Book of Common Prayer in 1549 preceded any theological explication of Anglicanism. In other words, we worshipped God before we talked about God.

Before the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, the only mention of a period of silence in the liturgy was in the rite for the ordination of a priest. Now we have several places where silence is suggested: after each of the readings, before confession and at the Breaking of the Bread, for example.

For many Episcopalians, liturgical silence has seemed awkward. In some congregations one hears much rustling of paper, the turning of pages, looking at the service leaflet to see what comes from the concern that someone has missed his or her cue. In short, we don't seem to know what to do with silence in the liturgy any more than we know what to do with silence in the midst of a conversation.

The rubrics (those italicized directions in the BCP) usually call of silence after something has been said or some action completed. In the silence that follows, for example, after readings or the sermon, we have an opportunity to reflect upon the words we have heard, an opportunity to "make space in our souls" for God, as one of my friends describes it. If the silence follows an action, for example, the Breaking of the Bread, we have an opportunity to prepare our response to those mighty acts of God which undergird our actions in worship. In each event, time is opened for us to reflect inwardly, without distraction, on something important.

Making a place for silence in the liturgy is important. Don't assume, however, that you are being forced to pay strict attention to the last thing that was said or done. That would be to restrict the power of the Spirit. Your mind may be still meditating on something earlier in the liturgy. Or if your mind has wandered, the silence will perhaps bring you back to worshipping God.

Without silence in the liturgy, it would be easy to rush from moment to moment and fail to be aware of God's presence in our midst. It is not an unnecessary element in the liturgy. Rather, it is a crucial ingredient that contributes to our ability to offer our "souls and bodies" as a "reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice" to God.

Copyright © 2007 St. Augustine by-the-Sea