“Word” by Madeleine L'Engle
I, who live by words, am wordless when
I try my words in prayer. All language turns
To silence. Prayer will take my words and then
Reveal their emptiness. The stilled voice learns
To hold its peace, to listen with the heart
To silence that is joy, is adoration.
The self is shattered, all words torn apart
In this strange patterned time of contemplation
That, in time, breaks time, breaks words, breaks me,
And then, in silence, leaves me healed and mended.
I leave, returned to language, for I see
Through words, even when all words are ended.
I, who live by words, am wordless when
I turn me to the Word to pray. Amen.
---
by Madeleine L'Engle
quoted in Praying Our Days: A Guide and Companion
by Bishop Frank T. Griswold
.
I try my words in prayer. All language turns
To silence. Prayer will take my words and then
Reveal their emptiness. The stilled voice learns
To hold its peace, to listen with the heart
To silence that is joy, is adoration.
The self is shattered, all words torn apart
In this strange patterned time of contemplation
That, in time, breaks time, breaks words, breaks me,
And then, in silence, leaves me healed and mended.
I leave, returned to language, for I see
Through words, even when all words are ended.
I, who live by words, am wordless when
I turn me to the Word to pray. Amen.
---
by Madeleine L'Engle
quoted in Praying Our Days: A Guide and Companion
by Bishop Frank T. Griswold
.
Labels: Poetry, Silence, Spirituality
posted by Darrell Grizzle | 4:44 PM
3 Comments:
Beautiful. Resonates with my experience of the centering prayer, which has been the most meaningul form of prayer for me.
I learned it many years ago at St. Joseph's Abbey from the late Fr. Basil Pennington. It happens that there's a link about my meeting with him from my current post.
Ooh. I like that. Reminds me I need to go back and meet God in the silence.
This speaks volumes in light of Romans 8:26-27: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Even when we are left speechless in our prayers, the Holy Spirit knows what we need and how to express our needs before a holy God.
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