[00:00 –> 00:18] Peace, everybody. Father Angelus here. I just want to say thank you for all of you who support the Poco Poco podcast. Your generosity and faithfulness to us helps us to share the gospel with all those that tune in every week. If you’re not yet a monthly supporter, would you prayerfully consider joining us or even increasing your support so that we can keep our mission going?

[00:18 –> 00:28] You can sign up at Spirit juice.org, for Poco Poco or through the link in the show notes. Thank you for walking with us.

[00:28 –> 00:33] You’re listening to the Poco le Poco podcast, sponsored by Spirit Juice Studios.

[00:33 –> 00:39] Poco. Our poco bombs are. You got so much pedigree. Nothing. You know that we are. We make our way.

[00:39 –> 00:45] Hey, I’m Mark, Mary.

[00:45 –> 01:24] Welcome back everybody. This is our final episode of the silence series with the Sultan of Silence. Father innocent Maria. Is it?

[01:24 –> 01:46] Yeah. I think we’re using the silence in a pretty like a would say in a somewhat Broadway, which has made each of the episodes not feel like you’re seeing the same thing over and over again. I got, I’m speaking speaking on the subject, but also kind of not on the subject, but also sort of. Doing what? Maybe we’re being accused of doing.

[01:46 –> 02:07] I have a I received an email through our general account. And, what I’m going to well, I’m going to ask what I’m asking is, do you got do you think he’s talking about us? So I’m not going to say who it was. And it’s a subject. General questions? Comments. How did you hear about us? Here’s what’s throws me off TV.

[02:07 –> 02:35] How’d you hear about us? TV message. I’ve tried, but the silly babble these guys inflict on viewers is unbearable. They take the simple words of Jesus and create a word sound which is unintelligible. They act like a bunch of seventh grade boys. It’s a ridiculous show. I look at it and I always come to this conclusion. The wordiness and silliness are stomach turning.

[02:35 –> 03:09] When they do try to explain a serious subject, they fail miserably. Here’s the connection. Someone should make them all take a vow of silence and only silence. He’s got to be talking about us right?

[03:09 –> 03:40] I think that’s that’s the most. That’s the one that really makes me think he’s talking about us.

[03:40 –> 04:01] We’re. We’re in the small Catholic spaces. I mean, I mean, I mean, we’re we’re in a couple of Catholic TV, like, like local networks. So it could be something that could be the TV thing. But some of the background, I guess, is because we get a lot of mail or emails. We consistently get stuff that’s for other orders or communities.

[04:02 –> 04:29] But the number in the guy’s email, I’m guessing it’s a mean got to be guy is 54, which puts him right about like 72 years old, which puts him right about the age where there could be somebody who like, I guess he’s watching on TV. That’s the problem. Because he, you know, because again, there’s like a certain age that, like, doesn’t like the opening thing that we’re doing right now but doesn’t know to skip it.

[04:29 –> 04:37] And maybe because if you’re watching it on TV, you’re held hostage for ten minutes every time.

[04:37 –> 04:40] That’s true.

[04:40 –> 05:32] But. I, I typically respond to almost every thing we get. But I didn’t respond to this one. I didn’t it didn’t I didn’t give the impression that it would be helpful.

[05:33 –> 05:55] Anyway, I’m glad we’re on a place where we’re secure enough to be able to receive this and navigate it well. And this. It was just funny. This. We don’t. This was a little bit more harsh than we would normally get. But what also makes me think of is, there’s this idea of, like, people out there taking vows of silence, like monks or friars or religious anywhere.

[05:55 –> 06:26] No one actually has an absolute vow of silence, right? Like there’s no like there’s nobody who never talked. Like, first of all, we almost always are. There are people who are praying out loud all the time. Like, it’s kind of part of the liturgical life. You’re talking to people. No one’s just out in the island by themselves. Not like that’s an actual vow of silence isn’t a thing.

[06:26 –> 06:34] Okay.

[06:34 –> 06:55] Prudence is good.

[06:55 –> 07:21] You silly seventh grade boys.

[07:21 –> 07:42] I think you’re the problem. You have been influenced by the junior high kids that you work with. You bring it into this podcast, you infect the rest of us. I’m going to push the silence button.

[07:42 –> 07:48] For effect. I wanted to meet you in the middle of that sentence, but I thought that would be rude.

[07:48 –> 08:11] So, father innocent if you. If you could. If you could go to the kitchen right now and whip together a beautiful word salad.

[08:11 –> 08:24] What what kind of what what are the other salads like? Pretzel salad.

[08:24 –> 08:41] And and and here the podcast. We believe in word salads. So why don’t you. Why don’t you. Why don’t you cook for the innocent?

[08:41 –> 13:03] Not ever. Just you. Not. Not last episode. Ever of the series.

[13:03 –> 13:14] Thanks, father. I think this is this is really helpful and really helpful of framing in language. And I’ll use a basic example without ruining scripture. And then connected here is,

[13:14 –> 13:43] You know, I don’t know, like, there’s just like, I don’t know where to where to start. I guess I’ve just kind of. I was looking around the high school area. You start. I started to be around, like a couple of people who started to take their sport, like, very serious, like they were. They were at the point where it’s like they, you know, so they they’re they’re, they’re waking up and at a certain time, they’re going to bed at a certain time, they’re eating a certain thing.

[13:43 –> 14:03] They’re they’re not doing some of the normal, like social stuff that some of their peers are doing. They’re going into college and they’re living this like very sort of discipline to life, which, if you will, in many ways, doesn’t take advantage of some of the the social fun that’s being offered there. And then, you know, this guy, he goes and he, he gets into the league and then he gets into, you know, whatever.

[14:03 –> 14:22] It’s football. And he gets to the Super Bowl. And there’s like, you know, the pre-game speech where it’s like, hey, hey boys. This is like, this is what you’ve been working your whole life for. Like, this is there’s this is the reason that you have been making sacrifices, leaving the disciplines, doing the work, eating the food, having the diet, getting the sleep, doing the stretching.

[14:22 –> 14:39] All of that is like, like for this, you know, and it’s not total and certainly there’s, there’s a lot lacking there and a lot that can be off there. But it’s not it’s not out of touch with Saint Paul, who talks about how like athletes, you know, they do all sorts of work to like win a feeding ground.

[14:39 –> 15:11] And it’s like, yeah. And it’s like he says like so like like like let’s also work for this higher thing for the higher goods. And here I think we can use like union with God, which we experience in a profound way, in this context of contemplative prayer. And, and because I think we did, like you talked about a lot of things you talked about like, okay, like talking less, listening to less, being more still pruning certain things out of your life, surrendering sort of the, your, your judgments, all this sort of stuff and a lot of it.

[15:11 –> 15:40] It’s like, well, maybe it’s a little bit much. Or is that a little bit? But but I think what helps us make these decisions with confidence and hope and perseverance is if we can get before ourselves, the goodness of God like, and the reality that, we can actually through like, have contemplative prayer here in this world, if by God, like with God’s grace, you can really give it anyway.

[15:40 –> 16:08] But also generally he’s going to want us like we’re going to have to participate in it and make some choices. But this is kind of like what it’s for, like you’re saying here is that like there’s there’s this good and there’s this gift and there’s this banquet prepared for us. And can we make the choices that allow us to come to this banquet and experience it in its fullness, namely, by tasting and seeing the goodness of God through like the communion of God and contemplative prayer.

[16:08 –> 22:34] But I think it’s super important and good this that like gives us a bit of the why.

[22:35 –> 23:06] Thanks for that. And the the image that comes to mind is, is the what is the Transfiguration and that if you will like perhaps we can view a lot of what we’ve been discussing in the invitations as this invitation to go up the mountain with Jesus. Right. And it’s it’s noteworthy and it’s not accidental that this, that and then, you know, the disciples go up the mount with Jesus, and then, he’s transfigured before them and they see him in his glory.

[23:06 –> 23:27] I just don’t think it’s accidental that it happens in this place that’s removed. That’s a part that, if you will, is like, there’s this mountain like this, the mountain of, like, holy silence. Right? And here God is, like, transfigured before them. Jesus transfigured before them. And so there is like a following of the Jesus. There is the trusting in Jesus, the journeying with Jesus.

[23:27 –> 23:45] But also there’s this, this balance of like, they can’t make Jesus be transfigured. They they can’t force that. It’s like there’s a way in which there is this overwhelming, glory reveal to them is overwhelming gift given to them.

[23:45 –> 27:43] Yeah. And so I think, like, it’s just like, hey, like it’s it’s good to have again. It’s good to have the why in front of us, you know, as we, if you will, walk uphill with Jesus, which is sometimes like experience through the letting of things go, but it is all worth it. And Jesus is never outdone in generosity.

[27:43 –> 28:01] You think because and it’s not just, it’s not just about us, right? It’s not just about us having, a deep, contemplative experience with God or, something that feels really good. It’s about being transformed more and more to his image and likeness, so that we may also live in love and lead our lives down as he did.

[28:01 –> 28:06] And so, I guess even,

[28:06 –> 28:33] Like, maybe like union with God and and loving like God, I guess is maybe the end. Because even even contemplative prayer isn’t like the absolute end if we understand it only as like. And I think this might be a a narrow view of connection with prayer only as the city and chapel like having, you know, a deep union with God, like we do know also that like authentic contemplative prayer is kind of overflowing and continue in constant even in, in the mission.

[28:33 –> 28:57] But anyway, it’s like it’s it’s ordered towards, communion with God, contemplative prayer, it’s order towards, glorifying Jesus. It’s ordered towards being a recipient of the fullness of the glory of Jesus. And it’s in, it’s in, it’s ordered towards, yeah. Like laying our lives down, being at the service of our brothers and sisters like Jesus. Because we’re totally animated.

[28:57 –> 28:59] By him.

[29:00 –> 32:21] And it’s possible.

[32:21 –> 32:26] That nothing that.

[32:26 –> 33:44] You know, can you cause us father innocent?

[33:44 –> 34:10] Amen. Following sin. Thank you very much for leading us here. The. And speaking from your own, not your own. Just like obviously this from your own, what God has done in your life. Not just the book you read. So thanks for sharing from that, for cooking up this, put together this silence salad, violence. The silence. That was good.

[34:10 –> 34:29] There’s a lot of violence. The silence. That was a good one. I’m going to probably steal that down the road. So thanks in advance for the incident. AKA Harry Mac. All right. Anything else, guys? Any shout outs for the PT?

[34:29 –> 34:38] Shout out Harry Mac. All right. And thanks, father. Nurse. All right. Bye bye, buddy.

[34:38 –> 34:43] Poco. Our poco bombs are. You got so much pedigree. Nothing. You know that we