Prayer Quotes from your Prayer Fraternity

Prayer Quote from your Prayer Fraternity

　

This month's prayer quote is coming from Fr. Edward Hays, a priest from the diocese of Kansas City, Kansas. Fr. Hays is the author of as many as 30 books, mostly on the subject of prayer and spirituality. He is the founder of Shantivanam, a house of prayer. He published a very popular Forest of Peace monthly newsletter from the house of prayer which, along with many of his books, combined the gifts of art, storytelling, imagination, and everything else to teach.  This quote contains a lot of practical things for us to consider when it comes to prayer: the why, the what, the how, the when, the where of prayer you might say.  Let's let Fr. Hays speak to us -- from his book: PRAYERS FOR A DOMESTIC CHURCH, published in 1979 by Shantivanam House of Prayer in Easton, Kansas. The quote below is just part of the introduction to the chapter entitled: "Daily Personal Worship".

 

"In all the great religious traditions of the world, an important place is given to private or personal prayer. This prayer may take various forms but usually involves some type of daily discipline … Universally, the sacred times are sunrise and sunset; morning and evening are the traditional time periods when persons seek a communion with the Mystery of God that dwells within.

 

These times of prayer need not be long, and it is often better that they be brief. Private prayer should be measured by quality and not quantity…..Just as we do not begin our day without taking proper time to wash ourselves and groom our hair, so we should take time to properly care for the needs of the inner-person and to acknowledge our position as creatures before an Almighty and Loving God. If we are unable to set aside a block of time for private prayer, we should at least attempt to begin and to conclude our day with a brief act of prayerful union with God.  No one's day is too busy for at least that minimum expression of personal prayer.

 

We should come to daily prayer fully aware that we are a blend, a beautiful blend, of body, mind and spirit. These sacred three must each enter into the time of prayer aware of the needs of the other….the more of our whole person that prays -- mind, heart, imagination, memory, senses, as well as dreams, disappointments, sorrows and joys -- the more wholesome and holy will be our prayer.

 

The old rabbis said that a person who has been on a journey should not pray until three days after returning! …. Considering the noise and stress of our modern lives, we can understand why it is difficult for people to pray .…. Each time of prayer should begin with a prayer of quieting ….. By a gentle slowing down, we can 'scrub' our hearts of anything that may block the flow of our prayer. As doctors scrub before an operation, we cleanse ourselves of anything that makes our heart unfit for a time of communion with God.

 

As far as it is possible, we should attempt to pray at the same hour each day. This regularity of time should be accompanied by a routine of praying daily in the same place within our home …. A pattern of prayer that allows us familiar surroundings at a certain time of day helps to surround the heart with support when we come to our private devotion …. the place we choose could be a corner of our bedroom, a spot in front of a sacred image, or a space before a window that opens onto the rising sun. We may also wish to use incense, a lighted candle, or a small altar to create an atmosphere that will support and give expression to our time of prayer.

 

Individual prayer should be just that: individual and personal. All true prayer leads us always to the heart of the hidden God, who is praying in all creation and in all persons.

 

Lastly, all true prayer leads us outward from the center of ourselves. All true prayer leads to social justice and apostolic labor. But without personal prayer, social action is hollow. Without a meditative heart, social reform can easily become self-glorifying instead of an act that gives glory to God. The coming of the Kingdom must begin with a heart that is praying always and always reforming."   (excerpts taken from Prayers for a Domestic Church;  pp. 131 - 134)