PRAYER! -- NATURE CALLS SPRING INTO BEING

(bench down by St. Anthony Park & pond - our 'swamp cathedral')

 

 

NATURE'S CHORUSES HERALD ARRIVAL OF SPRING

 

(Several weeks ago some retreatants were sitting on the bench down by the pond and noticed that there was a chorus of tree frogs and other creatures singing -- or was it praying?   They seemed to be letting us know that God was speaking through them of the arrival of spring and new life for them and the trees and spring flowers.   New life for us!    A friend of the community, Alice Ellis, shared the following reflection as she experienced nature awakening and reminding all of us of God's goodness in this 'spring-has-sprung hallelujah'.)

 

 

MUSIC IN THE EARS OF THE BEHOLDER

 

Even though it was only March 18th, it was so warm at bedtime, I decided to open the window.  Could it be true?  I thought that I could hear frogs singing.  I put my ear closer to the window-screen and sure enough, the frog choir was belting out the "hallelujah chorus" from the nearby swamp-cathedral.   The wake-up hallelujah from hibernation.  The spring-has-sprung hallelujah. 

 

I am sure George Frideric Handel (1685 to 1759) would not compare the song of frogs to his Hallelujah Chorus, but I suspect Handel would hear "music."  After the deadening silence of winter, spring arrives through the love-arias of birds, the operatic yip of coyotes, the full choir of frogs, the trumpet of swans, the percussion of woodpeckers, the drumbeat of grouse ... it is all here.   We have singers and we have a full symphony ... all playing the song of life.

 

In 1717 Handel composed a collection of music called Water Music.  This concert was performed outdoors on the River Thames for King George I.  It was said that George I enjoyed it so much, that he made the musicians play it three times during the course of the outing.  No wonder the frogs sing all night!

 

When I think of the genius of Handel,  I can't help but ponder what forces inspired him.   Did he also keep the bedroom window open at night?   Perhaps.  Sing it out frogs;  we hear you.  Hallelujah!

 

  

 

FIVE FINGER PRAYER

 

 

Teachers use all sorts of practical examples to help us to learn;  perhaps in the quest for a way to pray, to systematically know how to incorporate intercessory prayer into our lives, we can use this simple method below called the 'Five-Finger Prayer':

 

1.     Your thumb is nearest you.  So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you.  They are the easiest to remember.  To pray for our loved ones is, as C.S. Lewis once said, a 'sweet duty.'

 

2.     The next finger is the pointing finger.  Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal.  This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers.   They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction.  Keep them in your prayers.

 

3.     The next finger is the tallest finger.  It reminds us of our leaders.   Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators.   These people shape our nation and guide public opinion.  They need God's guidance.

 

4.     The fourth finger is our ring finger.   Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify.  It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain.   They need your prayers day and night.   You cannot pray too much for them.

 

5.     And lastly comes our little finger -- the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others.   As the Bible says:  'The least shall be the greatest among you.'   Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself.   By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively. 

 

(the author of this method is unknown)

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS to POOR CLARES

 

 

(icon of St. Clare in friary chapel for March 18, 2012)

 

March 18, 1212 is believed to be Palm Sunday and the day when St. Clare left her family to join St. Francis and the early brothers in their new way of life.   March 18, 2012  was celebrated across the world as the 800th anniversary of the religious consecration of St. Clare and the beginning of the Poor Clares. 

 

Here at our Prayer Fraternity, we celebrated with the Poor Clares with a special Vespers Service marking this great moment in time.  Our congratulations to all of our Franciscan Poor Clare sisters as they celebrate their 800th Jubilee.   May you have 800 more glorious and prayer-filled and prosperous years as a religious congregation of women.   Our Church, our Franciscan family, and our world is richly blessed by all you are and all that you bring through your lives and example.

 

 

JESUS AND PRAYER

 

 

(San Damiano crucifix in the chapel)

 

 

JESUS  and  PRAYER   -- "ABBA, FATHER"  (Mark 14:36)

 

You might think that, being God, Jesus would have been pretty self-sufficient.  There wasn't much he couldn't do, after all.  He walked on water,  cured lepers,  calmed storms,  and even raised the dead.  So why pray?  What need could Jesus possibly have had to talk to God?

 

Jesus revealed a God who was a trinity of persons, a community rather than an isolated individual.  As a man, Jesus lived this communion with his Father especially through prayer.  When he went off to the mountain or the desert, he wasn't "lost in his own thoughts" but immersed in conversation with his Father.  He loved his Father, and he loved to spend time with him.  For Jesus, prayer wasn't a chore he had to get out of the way but a delight, an activity he looked forward to.   He made time for prayer because for him it was a priority.

 

In short, Jesus didn't pray just because he "had" to.  He didn't turn to God just as a problem-solver or a bodyguard.  He turned to him as a Father.   It would be a shame if the only time we dealt with our father was when we needed to borrow the car keys or take out a short-term loan!  This wasn't Jesus' attitude.  He bounced ideas off God, shared his inner-most thoughts and aspirations with him, and sometimes just enjoyed his company without saying anything at all.  The heart of Jesus was indeed a prayerful heart.

 

 

(This reflection appears in the book,  THE SACRED HEART FOR LENT,  by Fr. Thomas D. Williams, published by Servant Books of St. Anthony Messenger Press,  copyright 2011.)

PRAYER REFLECTION FROM YOUR PRAYER FRATERNITY

 

 

This reflection on prayer comes from Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB, in her book, A TREE FULL OF ANGELS, p. 39;  it was published by Harper and Row, in 1988.

 

"There is no better way to end this chapter than by reflecting with you on that golden response to God called prayer.

 

To pray is to touch God and let God touch us.  It is a matter of presence and response.  Prayer does nothing to make God more present, for God is always present.  Prayer is our response to the presence of God in our lives.  A friend comes to see us.  What do we do?  We reach out to touch and receive that friend.  We allow this friend, in some way, to touch us.  Friendship is a marvelous exchange, and that is exactly what prayer is.

 

So how do I pray?  

 

I listen.   I talk.  I weep.  I am silent.   I embrace the beloved.   I gaze with reverence.    I wonder and adore.   I share my needs.    I have tea with God.    I give gifts.    I receive gifts.    I give thanks and I say I'm sorry.   I scream.   I get angry.   I show God all my life, including my very divided heart.   I relax.   I'm at home.  Sometimes I read a poem or tell God a story.  Sometimes I dance.   God loves stories and poems and dances.  Sometimes I get a bit dramatic with God .... God recognizes the cry of my heart as prayer ...  Prayer is a marvelous exchange."

 

MOUNTAIN PLACES & PRAYER

 

 

(a mountain scape in the West)

 

 

PRAYER as THE MOUNT OF ENCOUNTER WITH GOD

 

( Before you share this reflection for yourself, or with others, you might read one or several of these scripture stories of mountain experiences: Gen 22: 1-18 (Abraham);   Exodus 3: 1-16 or 19: 1-25 (Moses);   1 Kgs 19: 7-13 (Elijah)   or in the life of Jesus: Mt 4: 8-11 (the temptations);   Mt 5:1-12 (beatitudes);   Mt. 14: 23 (prayer);   Mt. 17:1-18 (transfiguration);   Mt. 26: 30-46 (garden of olives);        Mt. 27: 32-54 (the crucifixion);    and    Mt. 28: 16-20 (the Ascension). )

　

 

Have you noticed that mountains are the places for significant moments of encounter with God in Sacred Scripture -- 'prayer moments' we can say?

 

Abraham has his Mt. Moriah;  Moses had his Mt. Sinai;  and  Elijah has his Mt. Horeb.    For Jesus, it was the mountain of temptation,  the Mount of the Beatitudes,  Mt. Tabor,  the Mount of Olives,  Mt. Calvary, and  lastly, the Mount of the Ascension.    And then, perhaps most importantly and most regularly, Jesus had his mountain places where he went often to prayer; how many times does Scripture tell us: "Jesus went up the mountain to pray." 

 

Listen to the prayer of the psalmist (Ps 43:3): "Send forth your light and your fidelity; they shall lead me on and bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling place."   Think of your prayer places as your "holy mountain place" where you met God in very intimate ways, like Jesus did, and Moses and Abraham and Elijah and so many others did.    Prayer constantly draws us to that mountain place where we experience transformation,  come to deeper understandings of God,  face the struggles and decisions of life, and  ultimately,  experience our own crucifixions and deaths.

 

The great prophet, Isaiah (25: 6-9), tells us: 'On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples.   On this mountain, he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples .. Wipe away the tears from all faces … remove the reproach of his people from the whole earth."     Is this a promise from God of what he offers us in prayer in our sacred personal mountain places?

 

 

　

POPE JOHN PAUL II and PRAYER

 

a reflection on Pope John Paul II's prayer

 

( in his book, Rediscover Catholicism,  Matthew Kelly talks about our late Pope's strength in prayer -- pages 115-116.)

 

 

Let me ask you, did you ever see John Paul II pray?   Each morning, he celebrated Mass in his private chapel with about twenty guests.  Perhaps you were fortunate enough to attend.  If not, perhaps you saw television footage of these Masses.

 

When this man knelt down to pray after communion,  he would close his eyes and go to a place deep within himself.  Once he was there, nothing and no one could distract him.   He would go to that place deep within himself, and from that place he brought forth the fruit of his life:  wisdom, compassion, generosity, understanding, patience, courage, insight, forgiveness, humility, and a love so apparent you could almost touch it.

 

The amazing thing is, if you put this same man in a football stadium with a hundred thousand people and a million more distractions, he still knelt down after Communion, closed his eyes, and went to that place deep within him where he connected with God.  He allowed nothing to distract him from his prayer.  It was from that place that he lived his life.

 

Find that place within you.  If you do nothing else in your life, find that place and start to live your life from there.  I pray I can visit that place within me and go there more and more frequently.

 

Whatever name you give him, he was first and foremost a man of prayer.