Reasons to Make Time in Your Life for Prayer
No matter what your faith is, it’s always good to make a little time for prayer. Even you’re a fire-breathing atheist, take some time to just wonder at the universe, rather than always thinking of this world.
All ancient cultures use prayer, and when John Robbins journeyed to the four longest-lived cultures on earth (communities in Chile, Japan, Russia and Pakistan), he was surprised to find none of them even knew what an atheist was, even though they were fairly remote from established religious churches.
Prayer feels like an open line to God. Think of prayer as a reset button for the mind. Quiet reflection washes away worry and brings life into clearer focus. Many people find that just a short time spent in silence or peaceful prayer, helps them feel more centred and alert for the rest of the day.
Saint Padre Pio (pray, hope and don’t worry!)
Padre Pio was an Italian saint, renowned for performing many miracles, and had the stigmata (blood on his hands, like Christ when crucified). He would spend hours each day in prayer, and advised everyone to ‘pray, hope and don’t worry’.
Fellow friars said he often appeared in several places at one time, and when not performing miracles, he would often be seen to hear confessions (12 to 15 a day). He said that when people confessed their sins, he would smell flowers!
Just 5 years old when he devoted himself to God, he began his holy life age 15, and lived in a rural friary for over 50 years, until he died in 1968.
Now one of the world’s most popular saints, he has been documented as having performed many miracles. The most remarkable was during World War II, when Italy was still under the Nazi rule.
The bombs that American air forces dropped failed. Years later when an American air base was established nearby, one of the pilots recognised the friar, who he says he had ‘seen in the air’ on that very day!
Irish nun Sr Briege McKenna was once asked how to pray. She said it’s a bit like sunbathing. You simply go somewhere you feel at peace with God, and kind of do the same – just sit and be, and absorb your faith and that’s prayer, rather than parroting off prayers you learned in childhood.
Blair Piras is an American Catholic artist, who offers lovely images of Jesus and favourite saints, with prayer cards on the back. These are nice to carry on your person (especially when travelling) or just to keep by your beside.
Poor Clares (Ireland) is a closed order of Catholic nuns, who wrote a very popular book Calm the Soul, based on their popular music. They have nice prayers on site, by nuns who between them have very interesting histories.
From former campaigners to accountants, you can read their biographies on-site from how they ended up here, after quite a few heavy partying days!
The worst moment for an atheist, is when he feels a profound sense of gratitude. And has no-one to thank. G K Chesterton
To only think ‘you’re alive, you have acne and then you die’, makes you wonder what it’s all for. (Victoria Wood, who became interested in the Quaker faith before her death).
Pray As You Go (an audio prayer sanctuary)
Pray As You Go is a nice ‘audio sanctuary’ run by Ignatian Catholics. Not only can you listen to a relaxing 10-minute reading each morning or evening, but each one is preceded by nice music, which you can also read about and download at the website.
This is really nice. A beautifully designed site where you can read the prayers and lessons if preferred. But it’s nice to just make yourself a brew, and take 10 to 15 minutes each day, to hear a passage from the Bible, then someone with a nice calm voice explains it. You then listen to the verse again with new understanding, asking what it means to you.
Each lesson is preceded by a lovely relaxing piece of music, and you can also use the site to learn more about the Catholic Rosary, find sign language lessons, explore passages to help your mental health, and much more.
There are even prayers for Advent and Lent, and special prayers for children. This is a good example of ‘prayer done well’. It’s very well put together, and very calming.
Who are Ignatian Catholics?
The Catholic faith has various different ‘families’. There are Franciscans, Benedictines, Passionists and Ignatians. In a nutshell:
- Ignatians are inspired by a Spanish saint, and known for using their gifts to help others, through work. Their work becomes their ‘holy vocation’, if you like.
- Franciscans are inspired by St Francis of Assisi, an Italian former party boy who became the patron saint of ecology and animal welfare.
- Benedictines live a life of prayer and work. Devon’s Buckfast Abbey is run by Benedictine Monks, who make the famous Buckfast Tonic Wine.
- Jesuits are quite scholarly (Pope Francis was a Jesuit priest).
- Passionists focus on modern-day suffering, often helping prisoners and refugees. Minsteracres (a Northumberland retreat) is run by Passionist priests and nuns.
This blog has a post on Franciscans (busy loving everything that comes across their path – rabbits, kittens, spiders, trees, mushrooms) to Dominicans (his favourite Catholic order, because ‘everyone needs a favourite, it’s like baseball’).
The Lord’s Prayer (the benefits of saying it!)
Everyone knows the Lord’s Prayer. But what is it, and what are the benefits of reciting it? In these days of ‘manifesting everything you want’, it’s a simple prayer that basically acknowledges a love for God, asks for forgiveness, then forgives others, and leaves everything to God’s Will.
It’s a lot simpler than writing hundreds of affirmations!
Our Father who art in heaven,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Amen
An Anti-dote to the Modern ‘Me Generation’
What’s interesting if you look at the Lord’s Prayer, is that a prayer to help all others, not just yourself. This is quite different to today’s self-obsessive’ working on myself’ mentality’ that we often hear about.
You cannot pray the Lord’s Prayer and even once say ‘I’
You cannot pray the Lord’s Prayer and even once say ‘My’
Nor can you pray the Lord’s Prayer and not pray for one another,
And when you ask for daily bread, you must include your brother.
For others are included.. in each and every plea,
From the beginning to the end of it, it does not once say ‘Me’.
Poem found in a mailing from Omaha Home for Boys
