On Sunday, May 13, we will gather after mass for another "30 Minute School of Prayer." This time we will talk briefly about the "Jesus Prayer." This mantra, "Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner," is a simple path to contemplative prayer. Being quiet, breathing along with the words, settles the soul into prayer. This prayer and others like it encourages us to form our lives around the simple love of Christ. After years of repetition, our souls cling to these words.
The mantra simply leads the heart to God. When distractions occur, the words bring us back to the intention of prayer. There are no rules of this prayer, no thing that must be done. Just allow the mantra room in the heart, repeating it over again in your mind and allowing God to do the work.
For more information about contemplative prayer and praying with a mantra read:
The Cloud of Unknowing, a spiritual classic by an anonymous author. Also, Toward God, by Michael Casey is helpful.
Think about how you pray and the obstacles you face. What would be helpful for us to discuss here and after mass?
Fr. Ron
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1 comments:
For the past year I have been writing in a prayer journal, and felt that this was helpful for me. I felt that I was able to have a conversation with God, and I seemed to find peace by praying in this manner.
But lately this hasn't been working for me. Now when I feel overwhelmed with grief, I can't seem to pray. I feel as if I am being smothered by sadness, and there doesn't seem to be an answer. I am confronted by life on the street, and I don't know how to deal with it. Walking home this evening I talked to a man who had attempted to cross the street with his shopping cart, and was almost hit by a car. He talked to me for a few minutes and shared his frustrations about just crossing the street. And our conversation ended as he asked me to help a woman in a wheelchair get across the street to the bus stop. So then the next 5 or 10 minutes were spent with the woman in the wheelchair, pushing her across the street ,getting her to the bus stop, and listening to her story.
I don't know what to do with my sadness other than cry sometimes. And I do not know what to say to God anymore. I know I can't solve the problems of people living outside or of those confronted by illness, but I need to figure out how to bring these issues to God. I have a feeling that this means resting in God, but I don't know how to do this. My grief has become an obstacle.
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