Silence at Mass

One of the most forgotten parts of the renewed liturgy of Vatican II is the role of silence in the liturgy. In several spots in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (what used to be called the Rubrics) the Church asks the celebrants and people to observe some substantial times of silent prayer.

These times come at the Opening Prayer of the Mass, the Prayer after Communion, after the first reading, the Psalm, the second reading, the homily, and after receiving Holy Communion.

I believe that American Catholics don't like a lot of silence. We get fidgety. We have a hard time concentrating on what we're supposed to be doing. We wonder, "Why is Fr. Gene being so quiet? Is he mad at something? Did he fall asleep? Did he have a stroke or something?"

Listen to the song above, and just be quiet with it. You'll see that silence and quiet can be a powerful time for prayer.