The lead piece is from "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.
PRAYER AS MYSTERY
Prayer is not doing, but being. It is not words but the beyond-words experience of coming into the presence of something much greater than oneself. It is an invitation to recognize holiness and to utter simple words - "Holy, Holy, Holy" - in response. Attentiveness is all; I sometimes think of prayer as a certain quality of attention that comes upon me when I'm busy doing something else... Prayer is often stereotyped in our culture as a form of pietism, a lamentable privatization of religion. Even many Christians seem to regard prayer as a grocery list we hand to God, and when we don't get what we want, we assume that the prayers didn't "work." This is privatization at its worst, and a cosmic selfishness.
There are many times that seem very appropriate for prayer. We share prayers at meal time. Some share prayers at the beginning of the day or at the end of the day. There are those formal prayers in worship and those prayers that take place when we gather as Christians in meetings and social events. But...then there's life. Life as prayer. Life that keeps connecting the dots...from here to there...from me to you....from this actions and that action. Sure there are obvious signs that people are praying - there are traditional stances and "looks." Personally, it drives me nuts when a group of people is told to "Bow our Heads for prayer." That may be one way to pray but there are so many other ways to focus and connect and "pray"...we need not set in stone what it is to look like to pray. At the remembrance of a name, there can be prayer. In the fleeting thoughts that race through our minds as we are driving to work, there can be prayer. Prayer is, as Norris puts it so well, the "experience of coming into the presence of something much greater than oneself." That can happen in every moment of our day...and...you may not even "look" as though you are praying.
Connection: That's it...connection...stay connected today. The conversation that takes place within the great cosmos of time and space that is as close as you within yourself.
O Lord, continue to be present with us in all tha parts of our day. Continue to inspire us to sense your presence and be free enough to invite you to listen to our lives. Amen.
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