Reflections on St. Richard's

The Rev. Harry Coverston published the following two reflections on St. Richard's. We hope you enjoy them, as they speak of a deep truth of our parish, faith, and God.

St. Richards: Silence, Beauty, Presence

There is something incredibly beautiful about this parish when it is empty and darkened. The only noises that accompany one’s silent prayers are the cracks and pops of the vaulted wooden ceiling settling in the cool evening air. The smell of candle wax from today’s services and the votives flickering beneath the Madonna and child in the Lady Chapel linger in the air. The Holy is pregnant in this place.

There is a depth in this quiet space that simply cannot exist when it is full of people, as joyful the noises they may make to the Lord may be. If you can become still here, aware that G-d is as close as the very breath you are taking, you may become aware that you are sharing the company of the faithful who have worshipped here nearly eight decades. While they now exist only on the perimeters of our consciousness, their souls hover around us here, rarely seen but always present. And if you wait long enough, the presence of the Holy will become so palpable it is inescapable.

This is where the words of Psalm 46, often read responsively at our Taizé services, come alive:

Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know that I am.

Be still and know.

Be still.

Be.

It is in that very stillness that you realize, G-d has been with us all along, even when we were not aware of it. That realization allows us to trust that G-d will never leave us. At that incredible moment, the only appropriate response is a flood of heartfelt gratitude.