When talking to people who don’t pray, they tend to think there is just one kind, which is the prayer of petition. I guess the reason behind that is many people only pray when they are in trouble, then stop when things settle down again. Like after 911, the churches were full, but soon the event faded and so did prayer for many.
For the Christian, prayer is a loving relationship with Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity. A seeking after a deeper love and union with Christ and in that to grow in love and union of others, as well as to love oneself in Christ… even then, people will often think that there is only a certain way to pray, when in fact if prayer is to incorporate the whole person, then we will find the how we pray can differ, though the heart of prayer is the same, a seeking after union with God and his mercy and healing.
For me the reading of scriptures is the main focus. In the Catholic tradition this is called “Lectio Divina”. To read scripture slowly and to allow the Holy Spirit to speak, to ruminate on the Word of God and to allow the living waters to rise up in ones heart. Often scriptures are only used to prove a point or for study…all valid, yet in Lectio, we allow the Spirit to simply speak. If this is done every day, ones prayer will deepen and the love of the Word of God will also become an integral part of ones life.
Prayer is speaking, being with God. Like all loving relationships, there will come moments that all we need do is to be in the Lord’s presence, just as we are with someone we trust and love deeply; words can actually get in the way with this kind of deep loving communication.
We are called to pray always, it is not just about ‘prayers’ but about being with the Lord, to wait on the Lord, to seek the Lord for Him self alone. Our love of the Lord grows as we open our hearts more and more to grace.
Br. Mark Dohle, OCSO
Holy Spirit Monastery
