Order vs Chaos

Since we are in the season of Lent, there are some things that are a little different in the way we live our lives these days. One example is the amount of silence found throughout our house.

During the season of Lent, we try to add an extra measure of silence and physical discipline into our daily lives. I was in a conversation recently with a group of community members from various age groups. We were talking about silence which was much stricter in the past and silence today. It had started with a question about how silence was presented in the past as a community custom as opposed to today.

From the conversation, I gathered that silence in the past was simply assumed. That's the way we do things here. No questions asked. Today, there is a much greater effort to educate about the reasons behind the practice. That helps it make more logical sense--places it in a context.

From this conversation, I learned to value the humility and virtue of those women who were willing to readily lay aside their wills, concerns and questions and simply follow what is done. I pray for that grace.

Sr. Catherine, OSB