I entered the beautiful sanctuaryof Central Presbyterian Church in downtown St. Paul. I was a bit late, so the room was silent but for the soundof recorded Baroque music playing very softly in the background. A handful of people sat in the church,praying for peace.
This gathering was initiated oneyear ago, when a number of inspired Roman Catholic women invited people fromaround the community to sit in silence in this church in downtown St. Paul,praying for peace during the noise and contentiousness surrounding theRepublican National Convention.They called it "Peaceful Presence." For a year since the first gathering, this group has met forsilent prayer on the first Wednesday of every month. The noise outside hascertainly not subsided.
It is an extraordinary thingsitting in silence with other people.In the silence, one is keenly aware of the presence of the others in theroom, as one hears the most delicate of human sounds: someone shifting in herchair, a muffled sneeze, a stomach growling. I did not recognize any of the people in the room, but Iknew that they had come, as I had, to devote an hour to the cultivation of apeaceful heart. The sense ofprayer and reverence was palpable.I wondered how different my life would be if I could sit with othersthroughout my day with the quality of gentle mindfulness that I sensed in thisroom.
Some might say that this practicedefies reason. But I knew (asbecame explicit during a few moments of spontaneous spoken prayer at the closeof our hour together) that the others were there as I was, to nourish the seedsof peace within us, in the hope of bringing a compassionate heart out into ourlives and into the world. At theend of the hour, some prayed for loved ones in need of healing. Several prayed about health care reformand the needs of disadvantaged people in our society. Every word deepened the sense ofprayerfulness and compassion in the room.
I left to go on with my workday,and I suppose the others did too.I imagine that many of us will engage in action today to addressproblems large and small in our community and in our world. Yet what we didthis morning, cultivating a more peaceful heart within ourselves, might be themost meaningful act of all.
