Silent Expectations

During Advent, we will be observing a period of silence during the distribution of Holy Communion. After we sing the Agnus Dei, we will remain in silence until the end draws near and then we will sing a hymn. In our world, when we are bombarded constantly with noise and clamor, here in silence we find a place for us to wait and yearn for Christ to come. Gone are the distractions. Present is Christ Jesus in bread and wine. Here we may pray more fervently for his coming into our world all the more.

Our silent waiting is not just sitting still and keeping quiet. We should be engaged in the silence. In 1998, John Paul II wrote a pastoral letter that said,

"... active participation does not preclude the active passivity of silence,
stillness and listening: indeed, it demands it. Worshippers are not passive,
for instance, when listening to the readings or the homily, or following the
prayers of the celebrant, and the chants and music of the liturgy. These are
experiences of silence and stillness, but they are in their own way
profoundly active. In a culture which neither favors nor fosters meditative
quiet, the art of interior listening is learned only with difficulty."

Let us engage this Advent in the silent but active expectation.