Prayer to St. Paul of Thebes for Perseverance in Silence

 

O blessed Father Paul, first among the desert dwellers,

you who fled the noise of the world and found your home in the stillness of God,

teach me the steadfastness of heart that you learned in the solitude of the cave.

When my thoughts scatter and my courage falters,

help me to remember that my identity is not found in the esteem of men

nor in the passing measures of success,

but in the hidden gaze of the Lord who alone knows the heart.

You endured hunger, loneliness, and the long silence of the desert,

yet you were never without the sweetness of His Name upon your lips.

Obtain for me, Father, a share in that constancy,

that I may cling to the prayer of the heart

as to the very breath of my soul.

Let me not seek relief in distraction

nor consolation in the praise of others,

but in the quiet certainty that God is near

and that His mercy is enough.

Intercede for me, holy hermit of Thebes,

that I may persevere in the narrow path of stillness,

where every heartbeat becomes a prayer,

every tear a drop of surrender,

and every moment a renewal of trust in the One who called me.

By your prayers, may I learn to dwell in the desert of the heart,

content with nothing but the presence of God,

and to whisper without ceasing,

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.

Through your intercession, O venerable Paul,

may I hold fast until the end

and find my rest where you now dwell,

in the unbroken silence of divine love.

Amen.