The Lord was not in the whirlwind. I was very struck recently by what I heard from a generously cooperative partner in a mixed marriage who accompanies his wife and children to Mass in a particularly good liturgical setting. This he found odd and he was right. Bidding Prayers should be few in number and short. Some are so detailed that you wonder if they will end up by giving God a few home addresses and telephone numbers of the beneficiaries.
Lengthy prayers leave little time for the specified silent pause.
Designing space for silence If we are planning the gradual instruction of our parishioners in the spiritual benefit and necessity of silence we could begin by finding out if their church is itself designed as a place of recollection. If we find the building defective in this respect perhaps some alteration may be feasible. Almost inevitably the parishioners have not had a chance to acquire a spirit of reverence in the House of God. Mass. This costs money. As a missionary I am well aware that money does not grow on bushes, but I regard this porch-space as an essential part of a modern church.