MORNING PRAISE – 7-SILENCE

March 4, 2024

I. Call to Worship (Reader 1)

The Benedictine value
for this week is Silence and our Patron is St. Francis of Assisi.
When we hear the word silence what may come to mind is the opposite of noise.
But this is only one aspect of silence. We have five senses and silence demands
that we be master of them all in order to have a well ordered spiritual life. In fact
all the great teachers and masters of spiritual life insist upon this sort of silence.
The teaching of the value of silence can be found at all times, and more so in our
own time. Citing a few examples here can help us to understand not only its value
but also its necessity in our spiritual life.
The Rule of St. Benedict puts a high value on silence, giving a whole chapter to the
subject in the work. He believed that every aspect of the life of those following the
rule should show a great reverence and preference for silence. But knowing how
fallible we human beings are, he designated that, at the very least, certain times of
the day and certain places in the monastery should be held in silence. He wanted
his monks to have the best possible environment in which to hear the voice of God
with the ear of the heart — and he succeeded.
In a Benedictine school, silence is the stillness from within that allows one to be
attuned to the voice of God which flows into one’s words and actions. It is the
peace and quiet that is essential for listening to one another and for preserving
respect, order, and harmony in community.
Hence, a Scholastican is guided to observe moments of silence where she can get
in touch with herself and in touch with the God who speaks to us in the depths of
our being.

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Our Class Patron Saint, St. Francis of Assisi is one of the Catholic Church’s most
venerated and beloved saints. St. Francis is known for his ministry to the poor and
underprivileged, his care for nature and animals, and founding the Franciscan
order.
Son of an affluent cloth merchant, St. Francis of Assisi lived in wealth and ease
until God used a meeting with a leper to change his heart. While riding on
horseback one day, he saw a man disfigured by the disease. Overcome with pity,
Francis was compelled to give him his cloak and kiss him.
After the incident, St. Francis began to turn his life toward God, and one day, while
praying in a tiny, dilapidated chapel, he heard a voice say to him, “Francis, repair
my church.” While initially interpreting the command literally, he realized that the
command reached beyond the physical church. Rejecting his wealth, he began to
live a simple life, performing manual labor and ministering to the sick.
St. Francis initially faced ridicule in his community, but he was eventually joined by
others, forming the Order of the Friars Minor. Their practices included living a
lifestyle of poverty, demonstrating love for nature, animals, and their fellow
human beings, and drawing closer to Jesus in their suffering. The order was
officially recognized by the pope in 1210.
The teaching of St. Francis also inspired St. Clare of Assisi to devote her life to the
faith. Upon hearing one of his sermons at the age of 17, she made the decision to
become a nun. She later founded her own order, known as the Poor Clares.
During the last years of his relatively short life, he died at 44, Francis was half blind
and seriously ill. Two years before his death he received the stigmata, the real and
painful wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side. His memorial is celebrated
every October 4.
(Gong 3x)

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II. Opening Prayer (Reader 2)
Benedicite!
Let us remember that we are always in the Most Holy Presence of God.
To those coming from other faith traditions you may now make your sign of faith
as we make ours.
+In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Let us sing our opening song

Let us pray,
O God, by whose gift Saint Francis was conformed to Christ in poverty and
humility, grant that, by walking in Francis' footsteps, we may follow your Son, and,
through joyful charity, come to be united with you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for
ever and ever. Amen

III. Scripture Reading (Class Adviser)

Our Scripture Reading is taken from the Gospel of Mark

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the
other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat,
just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the
waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was
in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up and said to him,
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And waking up, he rebuked the
wind and said to the sea, “Be silent! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was
a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And
they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that
even the wind and the sea obey him?”
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(PAUSE)

The Gospel of the Lord

Response: ALL: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

REFLECTION (Reader 3)
Let us pause for a while as we reflect on today’s scripture reading. (Pause for 10
seconds)
Let us deepen our reflection of the reading guided by the following questions for
Reflection:
1. Whenever we are worried, disturbed, or anxious, do we find comfort in being
silent and still in God’s presence?
2. Knowing how noise has filled our world and our surroundings, how can we
cultivate and practice silence in our daily lives?

IV. Intercessory Prayers (Reader 4)

Let us pray to the Father that we may offer true worship and present ourselves as
his living temple. In a spirit of humility and trust, we pray:

R. Lord, make us holy.

1. May the Church continue on the path of purification and conversion so that in
every way it becomes a community of praise and compassion. Let us pray!
2. May our religious and civil leaders see in Christ the power to save and the
wisdom to lead. Let us pray!
3. May those preparing for baptism and reception into the Catholic Church be
mindful that discipleship is a call to help others. May they find freedom in God’s
steadfast love. Let us pray!

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4. May we respect our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. May we shun acts of
lasciviousness, violence, and other indignities that harm the human person. Let us
pray!
5. May the Lord give healing to the sick, comfort to the dying, conversion to
sinners, and light to those experiencing darkness in their lives. Let us pray!
Lord, cleanse our hearts of selfishness. Help us to love and serve you in
faithfulness and truth, and to show this by our concern for others. You who live
and reign for ever and ever.

ALL: AMEN.
V. The Lord’s Prayer (Reader 5)
As one Scholastican community let us pray the prayer that our Lord Jesus Himself
taught us.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;

thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Saint Benedict and Saint Scholastica, pray for us.

Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us.
Mary with her loving son, +bless us each and every one.

That in all things God may be glorified!

VI. Lupang Hinirang

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 Ilagay natin ang ating kanang kamay sa kaliwang dibdib at ating awitin ang
Pambansang Awit ng Pilipinas
Song Leaders:

VII. Panunumpa sa Watawat at Panatang Makabayan (Pledge Leader)

Itaas ang kanang kamay at ating bigkasin ang Panunumpa sa Watawat at
Panatang Makabayan
Panunumpa sa Watawat ng Pilipinas
Ako ay Pilipino, Buong katapatang nanunumpa sa watawat ng Pilipinas, At sa
bansang kanyang sinasagisag, Na may dangal, katarungan at kalayaan, Na
pinakikilos ng Sambayanang Maka-Diyos, Maka-kalikasan, Maka tao at Maka
bansa.

Panatang Makabayan
Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas, aking Lupang sinilangan.
Tahanan ng aking lahi, kinukupkop ako at tinutulungan
upang maging malakas, masipag, at marangal.
Dahil mahal ko ang Pilipinas,
Diringgin ko ang payo ng aking mga magulang.
Susundin ko ang tuntunin ng paaralan,
Tutuparin ko ang tungkulin ng isang mamamayang makabayan;
Naglilingkod, nag-aaral, at nananalangin ng buong katapatan.
Iaalay ko ang aking buhay, pangarap at pagsisikap sa bansang Pilipinas.

VII. College Hymn / Let’s Cheer to St. Scholastica

(Song Leader)