The Interior Life -- Prayer Styles

Transcription

1 St. Brigid School of Prayer The Interior Life -- Prayer Styles Bodily Prayer Memorized Prayer Spontaneous Prayer : Personal Prayer Praying With Scripture Centering Prayer : Silence 1

2 Opening Prayer Psalm 27:7-14 Antiphon: Have mercy on me when I call. All. Have mercy on me when I call. A. Hear my voice, LORD, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me. Come, says my heart, seek his face ; your face, LORD, do I seek! All. Have mercy on me when I call. B. Do not hide your face from me; do not repel your servant in anger. You are my salvation; do not cast me off; do not forsake me, God my savior! All. Have mercy on me when I call. A. Even if my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will take me in. All. Have mercy on me when I call. B. LORD, show me your way; lead me on a level path because of my enemies. All. Have mercy on me when I call. A. Do not abandon me to the desire of my foes; malicious and lying witnesses have risen against me. I believe I shall see the LORD s goodness in the land of the living. All. Have mercy on me when I call. B. Wait for the LORD, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the Lord. All. Have mercy on me when I call. 2

3 Bodily Prayer Christian prayer is embodied prayer. 3

4 Father Robert Barron: Your body matters for prayer. Christian prayer is embodied prayer. In C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters we discovered an experienced devil giving lessons to a young temptor. The veteran orders his young apprentice to encourage his 'client,' a budding Christian, to envision prayer as something very 'interior' and 'mystical,' having little to do with posture or the position of the body. He wants the poor Christian to think that whether he stands, slouches, sits, or kneels is irrelevant to the quality of his communication with God. This is the Cartesian voice, the belief that our bodies and souls are independent and have little to do with each other. But then consider the view of William James. In his Principles of Psychology, James writes that it is not so much sadness that makes us cry as crying that makes us feel sad. The body in a significant sense precedes the mind. The same dynamic occurs when we pray. It is not so much keen feelings of devotion that force us to our knees as kneeling that gives rise to keen feelings of devotion. If you're having difficulty in prayer today, try kneeling, or bowing, or making some sort of reverent gesture. The body often leads the mind into a deeper spiritual space. 4

5 Take Lord, receive Take Lord, Receive Based on the Suscipe by St. Ignatius of Loyola my liberty, my memory, my understanding, my entire will. Give me only your love and your grace, that's enough for me. Your love and your grace are enough for me. Take Lord, receive all I have and possess. Everything comes from you; now I return it. Give me only your love and your grace, that's enough for me. Your love and your grace are enough for me. Take Lord, receive. All is yours now. Dispose of it wholly according to your will. Give me only your love and your grace, that's enough for me. Your love and your grace are enough for me. 5

6 Memorized Prayers "Lord, teach us to pray..." He said to them, "When you pray say, 'Our Father...'" Luke 11:1-2 "Prayer is the sum of our relationship with God. We are what we pray." Carlo Caretto A springboard, a launch pad, a gateway An opening, an entry point, a threshold A safe harbor, an old friend, a warm blanket An ancient treasure Anton & Angelica You must try to pray so that, in your prayer, you open yourself in such a way that sometime---perhaps not today, but sometime---you are able to hear God say to you, "I love you!" These words, addressed to you by God, are the most important words you will ever hear because, before you hear them, nothing is ever completely right with you, but after you hear them, something will be right in your life at a very deep level. Bob Michel, OMI, quoted in Rolheiser, Prayer: Our Deepest Longing 6

7 Spontaneous Prayer : Personal Prayer It doesn t have to be the blue iris, it could be weeds in a vacant lot, or a few small stones; just pay attention, then patch a few words together and don t try to make them elaborate, this isn t a contest but the doorway into thanks, and a silence in which another voice may speak. Mary Oliver, Thirst Acknowledge - become aware of your thoughts, feelings, desires Relate - tell God what's in your heart, honestly, freely Receive - Scripture, memory, awareness, consoling word Respond - How is God asking me to show his love in the world today? 7

8 Praying With Scripture "Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 Ignatian Imagination - a personal experience of the life of Christ. Preparation: Take time to place oneself before God in reverence Grace: Ask for the grace to know Jesus intimately, to love him more intensely, and so to follow him more closely. Gospel Story: Call to mind or read the selected narrative. Let the events of Jesus' life be present to you right now. Setting: Compose the scene using the imagination as if making a movie. Pay close attention to details: sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings. See the people, and places, the whole setting. Let your imagination run. Then enter the scene yourself. Be anchored and firmly grounded in the scene. Experience: "Live" the story with Jesus. Notice the nuances, the tone of voice, facial expressions. What else was said or done? Allow the Holy Spirit to take you beyond the text, trusting that if you sincerely offered this time in prayer, God is communicating with you. Colloquy: Immersed in the setting, who do you want to talk to? Seek to know Jesus as the pattern for your own life, drawing closer to him. What do you say, or ask? Of whom? What is the response? Closing: Giving thanks for the grace of the encounter, close with an Our Father. 8

9 Lectio Divina - ever ancient, ever new, from St. Ambrose to Pope Francis "Cultivating the ability to listen deeply, to hear with the ear of our hearts." Rule of St. Benedict "There is one particular way of listening to what the Lord wishes to tell us in his word and of letting Preparation: Breathe deeply, quiet yourself to hear God's "still small voice." Invite the Holy Spirit to guide you and reveal your Word. ourselves be transformed by the Spirit. It is what we call lectio divina." Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 152 Four Movements: Lectio (reading/listening) Read slowly, attentively, gently listening for God's word or phrase for you this day. You may repeat the reading several times. Meditatio (chewing/ruminating) Take in the word or phrase and "ponder in your heart," memorize, gently repeat, and allow it to interact with your deepest thoughts, hopes, desires and feelings. Do not be afraid of distractions. Memories or thoughts are simply parts of yourself which, when they rise up during lectio divina, are asking to be given to God along with the rest of your inner self. Oratio (praying/transforming) Interact with God as you would with one you know loves and accepts you. Give to Him what you discovered in yourself during your meditatio. Allow God to use the word or phrase He has given you as a means of blessing, of transforming the ideas and memories which your pondering on His word awakened. Give to God what you found within your heart. Contemplatio (resting in God) Wordless quiet rest in God's loving embrace where words are no longer necessary. If He invites you to return to pondering His word or to your inner dialogue with Him, do so. Excerpted from Accepting the Embrace of God: The Ancient Practice of Lectio Divina, Fr. Luke Dysinger, OSB 9

10 Centering Prayer : Silence Be still and know that I am God Be still and know that I am Be still and know Be still Be Psalm 46:10 "But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him." Mt 6:6-8 "The Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings." Romans 8:26 "Imagine yourself in the presence of God, a God who yearns to be close to you. Some people find it helpful to repeat a simple word or phrase: "Jesus." "Blessed be God." "Hosanna." "Lord, have mercy." If you begin to feel anxious or to worry that you are not "doing it right," remember the words of the holy peasant who, when asked to share his secret to deep prayer, said simply, "I just look at God, and I let God look at me." Anyone who has ever been in love will know the power of those words. It is enough to be relaxed and quiet in the presence of God, ready to receive and to return God's loving glance." Ronald Rolheiser, Prayer: Our Deepest Longing 10

11 Group Exercise Lectio Divina Shared in Community Listening for the Gentle Touch of Christ the Word (The Literal Sense) 1. One person slowly reads aloud (twice) the passage of scripture, as others are attentive to some segment that is especially meaningful to them. 2. Silence for 1-2 minutes. Each hears and silently repeats a word or phrase that attracts. 3. Sharing aloud: A word or phrase that has attracted each person. A simple statement of one or a few words. No elaboration. How Christ the Word speaks to ME (The Allegorical Sense) 4. Second reading of same passage by another person. 6. Sharing aloud: Briefly: I hear, I see... What Christ the Word Invites me to DO (The Moral Sense) 5. Silence for 2-3 minutes. Reflect on Where does this reading touch my life today? 7. Third reading by still another person. 9. Sharing aloud: at somewhat greater length the results of each one's reflection. Be especially aware of what is shared by the person to your right. 8. Silence for 2-3 minutes. Reflect on I believe God wants me to... today/this week. 10. After full sharing, pray for the person to your right. Note: Anyone may pass at any time. If instead of sharing with the group you prefer to pray silently, simply state this aloud and conclude your silent prayer with Amen. 11

12 Ephesians 1:3-10 Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who bestowed on us in Christ every spiritual blessing in the heavens God chose us in him before the world began, to be holy and blameless in his sight. He predestined us to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ, such was his will and pleasure, that all might praise the glorious favor he has bestowed on us in his beloved. In him and through his blood, we have been redeemed, and our sins forgiven, so immeasurably generous is God's favor to us. God has given us the wisdom to understand fully the mystery, the plan he was pleased to decree in Christ. A plan to be carried out in Christ, in the fullness of time, to bring all things into one in him, in the heavens and on the earth. 12