3rd Sunday of Advent
Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran
According to the “General Instruction of the Roman Missal,” which are guidelines on the celebration of the Holy Mass, it is recommended that silence be observed on five different occasions during Mass. Those moments are:
- In the beginning and at the penitential rite
- At the start of certain prayers when the priest says, “Let us pray”
- After each of the Scripture readings
- After the homily
- After all have received Communion
Thirty seconds of silence would be an appropriate time for each of the above. Let us look at each of those times we are invited to be silent during the Mass.
First, we called to be silent before mass begins. We need some time to recollect ourselves to enter into prayer. The church encourages us to come to the church at least five to ten minutes before mass and sit in the presence of the Lord in silence, offering the family, near and dear ones in the hands of the Lord. During this time, the silence must be practiced in the church, in the sacristy, and the vesting room, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred celebration devoutly and fittingly. If we cultivate silence, we will hear the voice of the Lord.
The next place of silence is during the Penitential Rite. We all are invited to take a movement of silence to call to mind our sins. That is, we acknowledge our unworthiness to be in God’s holy presence. We prepare ourselves to take part in the Holy Eucharist before praying together to the Confiteor or the “Lord, have mercy.”
The words “Let us Pray” are followed by a period of silence. This prayer is commonly called the “Collect.” The priest “collects” the thoughts, intentions, petitions, and prayers of every one of us, who have been collected from our homes for this celebration of Mass. This moment of silence helps us to focus our worship on Christ. The priest is a mediator between God and man and brings all our petitions to God.
We are directed to have a brief movement of silence after readings. This allows all of us to ponder on the Word spoken so that the Word of God can seep into our being.
Once again, we are invited to be silent after the Homily, which is the time when a priest or deacon explains the readings and teaches us how to live in the light of the gospel. The readings and the homily contain advice, an exhortation, or an admonishment; we can ask the Lord how it applies to our lives. The period of silence is a time when the Lord can make alive and active the word of God in our hearts. We need only to ask him for this: “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”
After Communion is another opportunity to be silent. It is a time to offer our prayers of Thanksgiving to the Lord for having fed us with his very self in the holy Eucharist. We can ask the Lord to fill us with his love, to help us love our brothers and sisters, to help us see the world as he does. We can give him thanks for the great blessings he has given us.
Finally, even after the Mass, we are invited to be silent inside the church out of respect for those of us who would like to pray after mass. Those of us who would like to talk with our friends and family members may kindly move the gathering area and spend our time there.
Specific periods of silence are recommended by the Catholic Church to encourage us to have internal and external silence for all the participants at Mass. It can be a challenge to be silent, internally and externally. Indeed, silence at mass is an active, not a passive disposition. Achieving this silence is worth the effort because it helps us to be fully attentive to the Holy Spirit.
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