Sharing the Silence

After reading and sharing this article last night,
http://www.carlmccolman.net/2015/09/23/nine-ways-to-foster-a-contemplative-church/
I was reminded of the time I attended a Quaker Meeting.

It was at a time in my life when I was seeking and in my seeking, investigated and experienced various forms of worship.....all of which were non Catholic.  I hesitate to admit it, but for some reason I, like most Protestants, thought the Catholic church to be a little strange.  Looking back, it was more of a feeling that all Protestants stood with Martin Luther as he nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the cathedral door and we never bothered to look beyond it. At any rate, I restricted my seeking to non-Catholic and left few stones unturned.  One of those stones was Quaker Meeting.

The room was very simple with wooden floor and wooden benches arranged in a square with a table of sorts in the center.  On that table was a book from which one of the elders read a passage.  This was followed by complete silence as members meditated on what was read.  It was an education in the sharing of silence and in people sharing aloud as the Spirit moved them.  After each sharing we returned to the silence to listen to our own spirits. 

I found myself drawn to the Quakers but for one thing.....the music.  There was no music in their worship and I needed music.  Music, especially sacred music, has always been part of my life and is an integral part of my prayer and worship.  In looking back...but without going into their specific history....I realized meditation and contemplative prayer have always been the Quaker form of worship....something we, the Catholic laity, (historically speaking) are just beginning to share with one another.

I hunger and I thirst.  The hunger is never satisfied and the thirst never quenched but the desire and the need are always there. 

One of my mantras is, “God is meant to be shared.”  I have a need to share God.  I have a need to join with others in prayer, in meditation, in silence.  Just as I have a need to participate in communal worship on Sundays, I also have a need for communal prayer.  I have a need to come to know the God who dwells within and to share that Spirit with others. As a Priest friend explained it, I have a need for intimacy....intimacy with God within myself and with the God in others.  In that intimacy, I am not restricted to my own particular form of worship, but am called to share with all....and receive from all. 

From the stones once used to build walls, I now build bridges... sharing God with others regardless of religious “labels”.

God bless!
Connie