The Sacred Chain of Holiness
If we want to learn to pray, we’ve got to learn how to be quiet, how to listen, how to enter into the silence of beauty and humility. If we surround ourselves with non-stop noise, the gentle whisper of our Father’s voice will be drowned out, and our prayer will become a tragic monologue – me talking to God and not listening to his words of response. If that happens, the sacred chain of holiness will be broken. What’s the sacred chain of holiness? Here’s how [Saint] Mother Teresa of Calcutta put it:
The fruit of silence is prayer;
the fruit of prayer is faith;
the fruit of faith is love;
the fruit of love is service;
the fruit of service is peace…
Yours in Christ, Father John Bartunek, LC
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Art for this post on the sacred chain: Sepia detail of Cross on a chain of Anna Jagiellon, from the so-called Royal Casket lost during World War II, Anonymous (Poland), second half of 16th century, PD-US author’s life plus 100 years or less, Wikimedia Commons.