Dear Parish Family, At the conclusion of Mass a couple of weeks ago, Fr. Stanley mentioned the importance of silence. He has said this before, but for some reason “I finally got it!” Did you know that the words silent and listen are spelled with the same letters? My thoughts turned to really listening to the peace and tranquility of silence. In our crazy world, we do not take time to clear our heads, reflect on the wisdom of others and above all hear what God is telling us. Have you ever laid in the grass, looked up into the beautiful clouds, while listening to soft breezes, smelling the scent of flora and had all of your senses take in God’s wonders? Silence provides an opportunity to discover new thoughts, see things more clearly and be more introspect of ourselves. St. John of the Cross shared “It is best to learn to silence the faculties and o cause them to be still, so that God may speak.” A prevailing silence can create a lovely setting or background for discernment. Have you had a time where you needed to make a decision and yet could not fully settle on what was the right direction to take? St. Mother Theresa reminds us “We need to find God; He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees –flowers - grass grow in silence; see how the stars, the moon and the sun, move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch our souls.” Isn’t it calming, peaceful, and restoring to experience a quiet time? Oh -if only we took more time for this! Have a very blessed and peaceful day. Mary Jo