We have been having a long conversation about prayer--what it is for us, how we enter into it, what prayers are our favorites. It's now time to put together the prayer book--I hope to have it done by Christmas--so please--"park" your contributions in the comments section of this blog.How about posting a short (a sentence or two) reflection on your concept of prayer/contemplation in addition to any additions to the items noted above. If you have any photos you'd like to add--sometimes images convey more than words (1000 of them I am told)--please post those too.
I have two 'current' favorite prayers. In no particular order, the first is a song we sing often during Mass. It's not in the hymn book but guessing title is "Sanctuary". The words are a prayer to me. "Lord prepare me, to be a Sanctuary, Pure and holy, tried and true. With forgiving, I'll be a living, Sanctuary for you." I can start singing these words when I am feeling down, weak,anxious, etc and it so lifts me because I been blessed by others who are pure and holy and have been a Sanctuary for me...a safe, nurturing place where I have discovered forgiveness, mercy, grace, healing and love. I want to become that for others as they seek to find or deepen their relationship with Christ.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I love the prayer in the Novena to the Holy Spirit: "O Lord Jesus Christ who before ascending into Heaven did promise to send the Holy Ghost to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul the work of Your grace and Your Love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal. The Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my soul with the light of your divine truth. The Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining Heaven. The Spirit of Fortitude that I may ever bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation. The Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints. The Spirit of Piety that I may find service to God sweet and amiable. The Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. "
PS: I am sure I feel on a bit of a 'spiritual high' after being introduced to Lectio Divina but it a spiritual experience every time I engage this practice...it has become 'personal prayer' for me with the Spirit giving me strokes of insight, wisdom, counsel, knowledge, calming my soul, pricking my soul. What do you think about discussing it with our group b/c I bet some either don't know about it or have not tried it...a group session is really powerful because I discovered that The Word spoke differently to me than others. He gave each of us an impression, thoughts, message and often an action that was unique to each of us. Really a big "WOW"!!!
ReplyDeletepss I emailed you pics that MIGHT be helpful in the Prayer Book you are creating. K
ReplyDelete"Be still, and know that I am God."
ReplyDeleteLately I've felt an urgency to "be still" as incongruous as that sounds. It's so easy to say a "Hail Mary" or an "our Father" or read through a prayer by a saint, but the most difficult prayer I've found is just trying to still my mind and "be" with God. Like an old couple who, after years of being together, can sit next to each other in silence and just enjoy each other's presence without uttering a word, that's what I currently long for...