October 16, 2009

My Journey to God

The Sound of Silence

The sound of silence is heard
In the recesses of the church,
In the cloister of the abbey,
In the desert of the mind.

The sound of silence is heard
On the wings of the blowing wind,
With the heart whispers of the soul,
In the monk’s contemplative prayer.

The sound of silence is heard
In the meditative prayer of the pious,
In the music of the soaring soul,
In the inaudible sound of the contrite heart.

The sound of silence is heard,
Silence heard with the ear of the heart,
In the quiet flickering of a prayer candle,
In candle flames dispelling the darkness.

The sound of silence is heard
In the wonderful sense of God’s presence,
In the solidarity place of personal prayer,
Silence heard in the seeking of God.

By Thomas J. Rillo

(Thomas J. Rillo is a member of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Bloomington, and is a Benedictine oblate of Saint Meinrad Archabbey. Inspiration for this poem came during a visit to Gethsemani Abbey, a Trappist monastery in Kentucky.) †

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