So often am I faced with silence when I ask God for help with whatever conundrum I face that day. At the end of the day, I feel like I’m left hanging, still awaiting His answer.
I am quick to forget the peace He affords me when I receive Him in Holy Communion, even in spiritual Communion. That peace is His answer. He gives me graces in the silence, and those are my help. It’s in these moments when I rest in His peace, and He answers me with His silent graces.
Silent Graces // A Poem
Silent graces in fettered words
Silent graces, always heard
In the hush of prayer unspoken
Heard by Bread of Life there broken
Even without my word’s noise
He hears my pleading voice
And in moments when I’m at a loss
He hears and responds from His Cross
When my heart struggles to stand
It beats, but beats like man
Struggling to find strength through strife
As it grasps for another chance at life
Graces given at His word
Graces silent, but in action heard
When I can’t find words to say
He hears me when I silently pray
When I seek a tangible response
To cater to my deepest wants
When even a why would do
And I still hear nothing from You
It’s in that harsh silence I face
The unheard, Your silent grace
And when I don’t think I know what to do
I look at Your Cross and follow You
Even when faced with uncertainty
And the answer doesn’t face me blatantly
When I’m falling into the pit of despair
You remain waiting for me there
You pick me up and make me stronger
Though I keep asking how much longer
Let pass this cup and yet, still
Not according to me, but as Thy will
For upon my first life’s end
When for my spirit You inevitably send
I’ll then know the cost
Of enduring what I’ve lost
And seeing what I’ve gained
Is all that will remain
When I gaze upon Heaven’s holy faces
The result of God’s silent graces
Danielle Erwin is a Catholic wife, a homeschooling mother of 5, and she loves writing poetry whenever the Holy Spirit inspires her! She has published a book of poetry she wrote after her miscarriages called Holding On: Poems on Coping With Loss After Miscarriage, as well as a book of poetry on the Catholic Faith called Something More: Poetic Moments With God.