Wednesday, 17th Week of Ordinary Time

James 3:1-12
Morning Prayer

People do not like silence, at all.  On Sunday, our Prayer Book calls for silence before our confession, and when the bread is broken during the Eucharistic prayer.  And some forms of prayer call for at least several minutes of silence.  But into any period of silence come the shuffling of seats and clearing of throats.  There is something about a vacuum of noise which seems to demand that we fill it.  Perhaps we prefer to focus on something outside of ourselves, and put spoken words to that object, then try to give word to the anxieties that lurk within ourselves, waiting for us to stop talking so that they can jump to the front of our mind’s eye.   And not just silence, but conversations that probe some anxiety within us, demand that we jump in with a quick comment to relieve ourselves of that hidden burden.

But today, James reminds us that there are far worse things than silence.  “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness…but no human being can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” (3:5-6,8).  So, what is the cure for this fire?  Sometimes it is the silence of our hearts, which we need not fear because the Holy Spirit is there.  Last Sunday, I taught the children the Jesus Prayer, an ancient prayer from the Eastern Orthodox Church.  “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy.”  It’s very short, and once you’ve memorized, you can pray it over and over again; breathing in, “Lord Jesus Christ;” breathing out, “Son of God;” then breathing out again, “Have mercy.”

Or as you pray the Psalms, and one verse leaps out at you, seems to speak to your situation that day, then memorize that one verse, and carry with you throughout the day.  Do these things, and you shall not fear the silence, and your tongue shall not be an instrument of that fear.  Happy silence!