In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

... And in the name of the Blessed Mother Who has called us here together on this holy ground and on this special day in honor of Her.

I can think of no better words to begin my remarks than the immortal ones of our beloved Mother Theresa:

"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."

We could spend hours, even days reflecting upon these simple words that have such profound significance. But since our time together this afternoon is brief, I would like to focus on just one line of this beautiful prayer-poem. It is the line that I believe most of us may have the greatest difficulty achieving. It is the line that over-committed, well-intentioned pilgrims are most tempted to skip over. It is the one that we impatient, short-cut takers have too often tried to condense or bypass. And, dangerously enough, it is the very first line and, therefore, the gateway to all of the fruits we hold dear.

-- "The fruit of silence is prayer.

I should begin this reflection with a personal confession for I have learned time and time again that we teach best when we share from our own brokenness. It is in this condition that I come to you today and admit that despite knowing the importance of silence in achieving a healthy spiritual life, I still find it too often to be an illusive friend. The truth is that I find my life to be a constant battle to fulfill all of the legitimate claims on my time.

1. As a wife and mother of young children, my days are consumed, as Mother Theresa would say, "doing the little things ... with great love.
2. As a managing director of a nationwide charity with over 22,000 volunteers and a toll-free lifeline that connects literally thousands of abandoned, pregnant women with our practical resources, my days usually begin before dawn and end only when either my energy or eyesight give out.
3. As a Catholic woman consecrated to imitating the Blessed Mother and Her perfect example of humble service and universal compassion, I find myself asking for Her help every day to multiply my hours and magnify my gifts so that I might manage to fit in the visit to the sick, the letter to the discouraged, the phone call to the forgotten. And since these are "the least of these," She always comes through.

And so She has again today. For here I am, able to be with you ... 3,000 miles from my home in Saint Helena and 1,000 miles from our Nurturing Network’s new headquarters on Franciscan University’s campus in Steubenville, Ohio. At first, it seemed impossible to make this trip ... and then we lost Mother Theresa. I could almost hear her familiar voice reminding me to "love until it hurts. And so, by the grace of God, I have found my way here ... like a grateful beggar... drinking at the well of your courageous faith, undaunted hope and sacrificial love.

I want to thank you, Maureen Flynn, and all those who have worked so tirelessly to make this day possible.

My sense of this gathering is that most of us have come many miles and overcome many obstacles in order to be here ... at this precise place, at this specific moment in our pilgrim journey on earth. I sincerely believe that no one is here "by accident" ... that each of us has literally been "called by name" to give and to receive a special gift.

Mothers ... especially The Blessed Mother... love to give gifts to their children.

For me, this gift was offered and received during our Eucharistic Celebration. My gift came in the form of a very clear message that perhaps should more accurately be called a warning. I have a clear sense that it is meant to be shared. And so I will share it now with you.

Let’s return to the first line of Mother Theresa’s prayer-poem:

"The fruit of silence is prayer.

How many of us could honestly describe our daily lives as filled with silence? The demands on our time and attention seem only to escalate no matter how hard we try to simplify our cluttered lives. Our excuses range from the reasonable to the ridiculous. But the reality remains the same. We have lacked the discipline, wisdom and common sense to honor and obey the first great commandment to "love the Lord Our God with our whole heart."

Our homes, once sanctuaries for peace and quiet, have become noise-ridden centers of activity. We’ve permitted them to be bombarded by the endless gadgets of an electronic age of information and entertainment. T.V.’s, radios and videos have been joined by the intrusive clamor of fax machines, cordless phones and laptop computers. Even the once peaceful "stroll around the block" and quiet commute to work have been invaded by paging devices, cellular phones, "walkmen" and "beepers." Stores and work environments are not immune to this escalation of noise as once quiet shops and offices have given in to the incessant demand for music, up-to-the-minute news reports and entertainment. Sadly enough, our churches, too, seem to be leaving fewer and fewer moments for prayerful silence in our liturgical worship of God. How many of us have set aside time recently to go on a silent retreat? Remember when they used to last 30 days? And then it became 8. And then 4. And more often than not, now, 1!

Why have we compromised this priceless gift of silence? Are we like the frog in the kettle that doesn’t feel the heat rising until it is too late to jump out? Can we not see what Trojan Horses those supposedly time-saving "conveniences" have become in our once private homes? A recent study has finally confirmed the truth: the proliferation of fax machines, computers, and other electronic devises in the domestic environment has actually decreased the mount of "free time" (translate that silence) that we are able to enjoy by escalating the amount of information we are forced to receive and the number of people who can reach us at virtually any time.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it is time for us to take a hard look at what we are really jeopardizing by trading away our silence:

If the "fruit of silence is prayer" and prayer is the "raising of one’s heart and mind to God," then the loss of this fertile ground for grace literally is a threat to our salvation!! How can we be effectively engaged in what we have all come to recognize as a spiritual war if we will allow our adversary to take away our most powerful weapon?! Can you think of any better method of attack by satan than to disarm the faithful of their prayerful communication with God, our Commander-in-Chief! Have we forgotten that "good works alone" cannot save us? And isn’t the sure sign of any good Christian the degree to which they model their lives in imitation of the Christ, the Son of God who continually taught by word and by example the importance of prayer! How much more explicitly could it be told to us in the Word of God than in Thessalonians 5:~7, "Pray constantly." Do we, engaged in the most prolonged, divisive and intense civil rights movement of our century, really need to be reminded to, "Be sober, be vigilant." For as it is written in 1 Peter 5:8, "Your adversary the devil is like a lion prowling about in the darkness seeking to devour souls."

Most of us have learned through painful experience that the "master of lies" deals in deception. His trade is in apparent goods that in fact cause grave harm or moral decay. Our overly-committed schedules and meager times for silent prayer are satan’s breeding ground for the diseases we have seen inflicted upon this life-saving movement. If Jesus described Himself as "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" and promised to "set us free "from the bondage of sin and offered us His Peace that would "surpass all understanding", then satan’s identity and promises - if he would ever be so forthright - would be precisely the opposite. He has come to show us the way to eternal damnation, sell us the lie and lead us to spiritual death. He delights in entrapping souls in sins that appear either too attractive to overcome or too ugly to be forgiven. He sows strife and division wherever he goes.

How often have we seen the "master of lies" score damaging victories in this precious movement to "end abortion and convert all nations to God."? Have we not ~ watched the media repeatedly take advantage of pro-life protestors who have allowed their anger and frustration to overcome true compassion and charity? Of course, they end up being used to contradict the life-saving message that they are fighting for. What if their silent prayer time had reminded them that Christ asked us at all times to "love our enemies," to "turn the other cheek" and to "forgive seventy times seven "?

Have we not heard pro-life leaders publicly criticize others on some point of disagreement or rumored shortcoming? What if in their silent prayer life they had been reminded that "Judgment is Mine, says the Lord. Or even, "Love one another as I have loved you."

And when was the last time you heard a colleague in the pro-life movement after suffering a personal loss or legislative setback quote sacred scripture with hope and conviction, "With God all things are possible. Or, "in all things, give thanks for this is the will of God." Or, "All things work for good for those who believe. If they would place a higher priority on time for silent prayer, I believe that they would.

Each of these examples, my dear friends, are shared simply to underscore the increased need for the fruit of silence which is prayer, in each of our lives. This international week of prayer and fasting has been an inspiring example of precisely what is most needed if we are to be victorious in this battle against the principalities of darkness. I especially commend those who set aside times in this day’s very full schedule for silent prayer and reflection.

In closing, I would like to share, on a very personal note, two private treasures In my life. I offer them to you as a gift in the hope that they may spur you on to an even deeper love of God and His Blessed Mother through a more fervent prayer life.

The first is the story of how I learned to pray for the first time. I was 5 ½ years old. My father had just left our family to begin another life. To say that there was a void and a new silence is an understatement. And yet, into that silence stepped a wise and holy priest whom I have come to think of as a living saint. He, too, had lost a parent as a young child and so he began to teach me out of his own brokenness about the only Love that never walks away and the only compassion that never ends. My eyes were opened to the great gift that suffering is. It offers the most riveting guideposts along the winding path that leads to holiness. We were standing on this particularly memorable day in a rock garden that was bathed in sunlight ... although it is likely that I have painted this scene as far more beautiful than it probably really was. But I can still remember him tenderly repeating the words of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who taught us all we ever need to know about how to pray. The words "Our Father’ took on a very intimate and profoundly healing meaning for me that day. And as I have gone through life struggling to carve out times for silence each day, it is the sweet familiarity of those childlike words that keep bringing me home.

And this brings me to my second little gift. I have found that 3 a.m. is a wonderful, peaceful time to awaken and to give yourself and your Creator a precious gift of one uninterrupted hour of silent meditation. There are no phones, no fares, no calls on your time or attention. None except the gentle voice of an understanding Father whose love is infinite and unconditional. He calls to you even before you call to Him in prayer. He waits to give you the words that you ache to hear. So the next time you are tempted to roll over at 3 a.m., consider the possibility that Jesus Himself has tapped you on the shoulder and is asking, "Will you not come and watch with me for one hour?"

Amen.