The silence as broken at last by the bell signifying the end of morning activity. Turning to the old woman, I asked, "What are you looking at?" I immediately flushed. Prying into the lives of the residents was strictly forbidden. Perhaps she had not heard. But she had. S1ow1y she turned toward me, and I could see her face for the first time. It was radiant. In a voice filled with joy she said, "Why, child, I am looking at the Light."
There are two dimensions to prayer: speech and silence. Of the two,
speech is necessary, but silence takes precedence. Silence is the
authentic medium of prayer, the rich matrix in which true communion
becomes possible. And being a medium, silence has a positive existence.
For the one who truly understands prayer, silence also conveys a message;
it too speaks... Silence prepares the soul for prayer, to hear the
pain of others, the pain of the world.
