People's Prayers

Monday, February 27, 2023

Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 5, Give Up, Take On, Pray '23

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) was an extraordinary human being. A Jesuit priest born in France and who later lived in New York, he also trained as a paleontologist and geologist and was involved with some spectacular discoveries. Yet, as with others who were ahead of their times, some of his writings were considered contrary to doctrinal teachings in the Catholic church and banned by the Vatican from publication in his lifetime. Today he is widely praised, including by Catholic hierarchy. Simply put, one of his beliefs ~ as with St. Paul ~ was that our everyday work in secular surroundings is every bit as important in our spiritual development as our religious activity when we offer that work to the service of God. And, furthermore, all that we do in everyday life is a necessary part of Creation. Are you ready to experience some spiritual growth in your everyday human life?

Creator God, I'm slowly recognizing that I am truly part of Your Holy Creation. I have had the thought that I had to give full days off to a soup kitchen, spend every possible moment in Church, and be hours on my knees in prayer and, partly, that only those who are ordained or living in monastic communities are truly doing Your work. Today, I will give up feeling spiritually inadequate and take on my everyday activities with a new spirit of dedication ~ each morning when I wake and breathe deeply, I will offer all that I do to Your service, even the most mundane task. I will pray for continuing confidence in my growing relationship with You, through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as my Guides. I give thanks for this season of Lent, a purposeful time as a spiritual being to explore my human experience with and for You. amen.

For more on Pierre click on these links:

Biography: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pierre-Teilhard-de-Chardin

Writings by de Chardin, free: https://teilhard.com/teilhard-de-chardin-resources/

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Saturday, February 25, 2023

Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 4, Give Up, Take On, Pray

February 25, 2023

Life moves at warp speed for many of us. So many have-to's, so many must-do's, so many want-to's, so many didn't do's...so many shoulds, coulds, woulds...so little time. How do we know how to prioritize what is most important? How can we stop doing so much and find time to just be?"

Mystic/Trappist Monk/Author Thomas Merton (1915-1968) wrote:

We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time

or no imagination left for being.

As a result men [sic] are valued not for what they are

but for what they do or what they have

~ for their usefulness.

Dearest Holy Parent, today I will give up trying to be everywhere and do everything and live into everyone else's wants and expectations for my life. Today I will take on stealing time from my worldly life to spend with You ~ my God ~ as a way to build up my spiritual life. I pray for Your Presence as I start with just 5 minutes each day breathing deeply with intention, even if I have to do it hiding in the bathroom or behind the garage. I do want to be more faithful in my prayer life. To that end, I will take small slow steps starting with a pause in my busy-ness for deep breathing several times a day, and move toward small, short prayers ~ while breathing ~ just to say, "Hello, God, this is me, I'm glad we're here in this moment together. I'll come back more often, I promise." amen.

(Start with 3 deep breaths in and then out and slowly work up to 6 and then to 10 as you wake, at mid-day, and before bed and then add another time or two whenever you think of it. Hold your hands and arms together in a prayer position, up in front of your face, the tips of your fingers at your forehead. Imagine filling a balloon in your abdomen/belly by pushing it out on the inhale while raising your arms at the elbows and keeping your hands together. Hold the air in for a count of 3. Then, with your hands together, close your elbows, using them as a bellows to exhale the breath, counting to 3 as you pull in your abdomen/belly to empty. Breathe through your nose on the inhale and through your mouth on the exhale. Soon you'll be deep breathing in and out regularly without realizing it, but still stop intentionally, using your arms and counting on inhale and exhale several times a day. Another breath prayer can be something like, on inhale: Jesus be with me now; on the exhale: and I will be with you. There are no right or wrong words!)

Here's a link on how to do deep breathing properly. This says to lie down or sit. Personally I find it easier to stand or sit most of the time except when I first wake up:

http://ptsd.about.com/od/selfhelp/ht/breathing2.htm

Friday, February 24, 2023

Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 3, Give Up, Take On, Pray '23

For Friday, February 24, 2023

The Season of Lent conjures up a dreary and lengthy period of time centered around self-denial, fasting, and hours on your knees. But, as said here yesterday, let's fast from more than just food or addictive substances during this time. Let us voluntarily give up conscious and discover our unconscious habits that are physically and spiritually unhealthy. We can seek ways to take on a new daily spiritual activity in this Lenten season, even if we already have a regular practice. Trying out different forms of prayer or meditation, reading a biography of or the writings of a current or classic biblical scholar or authors on different forms of spiritual/prayer practices can give us ideas for fresh ways of living our faith. Look for a variety of inspirational quotes or readings in and out of Christianity for a broader perspective. People such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Dali Lama, Amy-Jill Levine, the poet Rumi, Pema Chodron, mystic monk Thomas Merton, or Evelyn Underhill, to name a very few. Start slowly. This soul work isn’t meant to be difficult or overwhelming but rather to spend a few minutes a day to whet our appetites for continuing to grow in Christ. As we dedicate those acts to God for the benefit of our spiritual life, we can pray as we go that, by the end of this Lent, we will find new ways of living a more positive and fulfilling Christian life beyond these 40 days.

Dear God of Us All,

Every day “civilization” seems to be getting ever more crass and distasteful. Even TV entertainment seems to revolve around the "reality" of watching people's "real lives" crash and burn, with no dignity attached. Illegal “outlaw” activities, 90 day relationships, easy online gambling, lots of naked and nearly, and so much more. Even the commercials are mostly 30 second sound bites or full-on infomercials with explicit details of intimate self-care and every conceivable “clinically tested but not FDA approved" remedy for everything. But if big football heroes, tv doctors hawking their own expensive brands, and aging actors approve… I wonder, in what basement is that “clinic?” What does this do to the souls of those participating or my own if I watch beyond the previews?

For today, I'm going to give up tv and take on gathering those usable clothes and household things that I’ve been meaning to donate and actually do it. I'll pray for those who will use them and spend time in prayers of thanksgiving for all the blessings of life that I have. I'll also work on reducing the amount of time I spend on thinking mean thoughts about people on certain types of tv, oh, and especially those people I encounter while I'm driving. amen.