Interior Prayer, the Value of Silence: A Holy Spirit Adoration Sister sees the global crisis as an opportunity to reveal our best selves by becoming immersed in Trinitarian stillness

INTERIOR PRAYER the value of silence

Silent prayer in the midst of the pandemic

By a Holy Spirit Adoration Sister

Contributor

Life in today’s world, from east to west, from pandemic experience – persons with definition north to south, has become a novelty. The and character. phenomenon of COVID-19 has become an The second wave of elevated cases will enigma, urging a different lifestyle – a life of display God’s exuberance of an encore of his adventure. While those in the medical and salvific symphony, allowing us to meet him and scientific fields explore and push the limits thus to find ourselves. May the Lord empower of their expertise, they engage in a frantic search to us to develop clarities of faith from within, rich alleviate and attenuate its impact on suffering humanity. meanings and equilibrium, by delving deep

As God pushes our boats into the unfathomable depths into his mysteries. When the conundrum of of our hearts, we watch in silence God’s grace giving orchestrations in the pandemic, leading us all in our continuing pilgrimage towards the Triune God, the zenith, the apogee and apex of our living and dying. We begin to perceive His presence, and The charism of the Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration in Corpus Christi, also known as the pink sisters is to glorify God by living a life totally dedicated to the contemplative life in a permanent enclosure. They keep adoration before the exposed Blessed Sacrament, sing the praises of God seven times a day in their divine office and offer prayers and sacrifices, especially for priests and missionaries. we are compelled to bend They lift up to God the whole world and the intentions entrusted our knees and exclaim, “It to them. They maintain a special devotion to the third person of the is the Lord.” Blessed Trinity, opening themselves to his action and collaborating

Immersing ourselves with him. in the Trinitarian stillness, we begin to feel that the global crisis is like an exile that reveals the best. How? By stripping us of The life of the order is prayer. For a sister with the Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration, prayer is living and breathing in the Holy Spirit. For a servant of the Holy Spirit, every day should be a new Pentecost, every breath they should beckon to the Holy Spirit. our health, our jobs, close contacts with relations, and freedom to make choices and even lives. Hopefully, we the pandemic reaches its culminating point, only the find the essential – God. The exile reveals what really existentiality of God remains, and he becomes to us the matters and frees us to seek the Lord with all our hearts living God. and to praise his glory – always. Sinking into the presence of our Eucharistic Lord, we

That this is God’s world and that he rules it will dawn articulate a question: Why the pandemic? What is God on us glaringly in the silence of our tryst with the Lord. doing? The answer comes – he is saving, rescuing, blessOut of the emptiness of COVID-19, God would make a ing, healing, enlightening, judging. We glean a spiritual new creation. As an event that produces graces, God will insight - God is in battle. A spiritual war is in progress recreate our history, establishing harmony and beauty against evil, ignorance, pain. All of us are combatants. in our existential chaos and making it fuel in the furnace God meets all of us in this crisis, qualifying us by this very of salvation. Indeed, he is at work, shaping us, maksuffering the world is enduring. Evil is not everything. It ing us a people for his glory. May we come out of the has an origin and a finish. We see everything that evil is

INTERIOR PRAYER the value of silence

JOSHUA EARLE | UPSPLASH

doing. We don’t see what God is doing. We are being trained to live with a keen edge of hope and not be intimidated by evil because God is in control. We are invited to trust in God’s word, trust in what we do not see. Thank you, Lord, for shaping us for your eternal purposes.

Silent prayer is an act in which we approach God, a desire to listen and speak to God firsthand. We discover that we become less afraid of all that is happening in the world right now with this ongoing crisis because the most essential thing in our life is God, not comfort, applause, security, but the living God.

Our secret life ought to be a prayer life. The reality of

our humanity is prayer. God begins to be relevant to us. The real thing is the exclusive focus on God, an intense undivided preoccupation with God.

Before God in prayer, we do not remain the same. Pain, etc. do not stay there. Persistent prayer brings about human wholeness. Prayer is the secret work developing a life that is thorough, authentic and deeply human.

When mankind will have finally attained the maximum quotient of love, it is capable of giving to God. Hopefully, the COVID-19 pandemic will have fulfilled its raison d’etre, and it will end; this is our fervent prayer. May the Lord be praised.

FALL 2020 Collections

We understand that due to the pandemic some may not be able to give. However, if you are able and can continue to give to your parish, please also consider giving to these worthy causes.

THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA

The Collection for The Catholic University of America underwrites scholarships to assist financially deserving students in completing their education at CUA in over 50 disciplines. The collection for Catholic University is taken up in most parishes on the first or second weekend in September. For more information visit catholic.edu/index.html.

SEPTEMBER 12-13, 2020

DISASTER RELIEF

Catholic Charities USA is the official domestic relief agency of the U.S. Catholic Church. The disaster response team – along with the knowledge and expertise of our member agencies – mobilizes quickly and effectively to aid those experiencing or recovering from disasters.that occur this year. Catholic Charities is known for its hard work that begins with direct relief efforts to meet immediate needs and continues, sometimes for many years, with long-term relief efforts that help individuals and families rebuild their lives. For more information go to catholiccharitiesusa.org/our-ministry/disaster-relief/.

SEPTEMBER 19-20, 2020

RESPECT LIFE

Every year, the USCCB (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) designates the first Sunday in October as Respect Life Sunday, and October itself as Respect Life Month. The conference’s ProLife Secretariat provides collateral materials supporting the annual theme. The materials, which are purchased for each parish and school by the Diocese of Corpus Christi’s Respect Life Office, assist clergy, principals, directors of religious education, teachers, catechists and parents in teaching adults, youth and children to respect all human life. For more information visit usccb.org/committees/prolife-activities/respect-life-program.

OCTOBER 3-4, 2020

WORLD MISSION SUNDAY

The funds gathered on World Mission Sunday are distributed in the pope’s name by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith—a Pontifical Mission Society.

For more information visit propfaith.net/onefamilyinmission.

OCTOBER 17-18, 2020