BEING AND BECOMING PRAYERFUL (4)

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

(Psalm 46:10)

Be in your prayer space, follow the usual steps and settle into silence.

Sit still…..Relax…….Do not rush………

Take a couple of gentle, slow and deep breaths…becoming aware of your breath going in and out… stay focused on this breath of life……

Settle into silence, into peacefulness, into profound silence, into pure joy. Keep listening in such quietness and serenity. Come to that place, that space within, that place of deep silence and Solitude; to just being here and now without having to accomplish something.

Now from the depth of your heart begin to wish your mind well…

Pray with me as you begin this meditation….Psalm 42

Like the deer that yearns for running streams,

So my soul is yearning for you, my God.

My soul is thirsting for God, the living God.

When can I enter to see the face of God?

I will remember all these things as I pour out my soul:

how I would lead the joyous procession into the house of God,

with cries of gladness and thanksgiving, the multitude wildly happy.

By day Yahweh will send loving kindness;

by night I will sing praise to the God of my life.

Prayerfulness is an impelling desire, a hunger and a thirst, a yearning for God and God’s ways, “like the deer that yearns for running streams” as the psalmist says in Psalm 42.

Take a few moments….express your longings, your desire, your hunger and your thirst for God and God’s ways as you begin your day….cultivate prayerfulness, nurture your hunger and your thirst for God and God’s ways.…..

Bless the Lord O my soul….Let all that is within me give God praise……

Bless the Lord O my soul……….Let me never forget your blessings……

Keep repeating these words in your heart for a few moments.

Begin again…express your longings, your desire, your hunger and your thirst, from the depth of your heart……

May my heart be pure that I may see you………………

May my heart be humble that I may surrender to your will………

May my heart be gracious that I may serve you…………….

May my heart be noble that I may reflect you……………..

May my heart be trusting that I may be safe in you………….

Keep repeating these words in your heart for a few moments.

May my heart be hopeful that I may be free in you…………

May my heart be loving that I may abide in you…………….

May my heart be compassionate that I may be present to others in compassion………

May my heart be poor, empty and spacious that I may offer you space to work your plan in me and for me and with me………………

May my heart be caring, sensitive, compassionate that I may live in solidarity with those who suffer and are in need of healing………

Keep repeating these words in your heart for a few moments.

May my heart be gentle, lowly, meek that I may be welcoming, hospitable and others may find comfort in my presence……….

May my heart be hungry and thirsty that I may desire everything virtuous, noble, true and good; that I may hunger and thirst for you and your wisdom…….

May my heart be understanding, merciful, forgiving that I may be forgiving; that compassion may be my way of life………….

May my heart be Pure that I may have a single, undivided heart; that my motivations may be pure and transparent………..

May my heart be peaceful that I may abide in your peace; that I may be a channel of peace for others…………….

May my heart be full of love that there is no space for anything else……

May my heart be full of you that I may live and move in you, from you, for you,

with you…..

May my heart be open, docile and desiring only your way, your truth, your life and your will and your purpose for me……

Keep repeating these words in your heart for a few moments

Now take a moment……Bless your morning……let the morning bless you……

Morning is a sacrament…of new beginnings….so new and untried…so unique… never to return.

Morning is a sacrament…of hope..offering new opportunities…new possibilities…never to return.

Welcome the morning! Receive the gift that she is! Be ready to be faithful to the possibilities that she brings!

Take another moment. Bless your world. Let your world bless you.

Every day that we wake up is a good day. Every breath that we take is filled with hope for a better day. Every word that we speak is a chance to change what is bad into something good.

Now I invite you to consecrate this day and all that come with this day….in your own way, in humble, simple, may be even inadequate words………..

Don’t ask God for what you think is good;

Ask Him for what He thinks is good for you.

The God to whom we pray is a God of love, who is more ready to answer than we are ready to pray. We do not have to force His Gifts and His Grace out of Him. We do not come to a God who has to be coaxed, or pestered, or battered into answering our prayer. We come to the ONE who simply wills to give. We, actually, come into the presence of the ONE who has already GIVEN. We come with desire in our hearts and words on our lips: “Thy will be done.”

GOD IS PERFECT AND PERFECT WISDOM.

WE DO NOT PRAY IN ORDER TO CHANGE HIS WILL,

BUT TO BRING OUR WILLS INTO HARMONY WITH HIS.

William Temple

Fr. Gus Tharappel,msfs

BEING AND BECOMING PRAYERFUL (2)

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

(Psalm 46:10)

Be in your prayer space, follow the usual steps and settle into silence.

Sit still…..Relax…….Do not rush………

Take a couple of gentle, slow and deep breaths…becoming aware of your breath going in and out… stay focused on this breath of life……

Settle into silence, into peacefulness, into profound silence, into pure joy. Keep listening in such quietness and serenity. Come to that place, that space within, that place of deep silence – Solitude…to just being here and now without having to accomplish something.

Now from the depth of your heart begin to wish your mind well……….

Prayer changes the “Pray-er”……….

I waited, waited for the Lord……And He stooped toward me and heard my cry (Ps.40:2)

When I call answer me, O God…… Psalm 4 and 5

In my distress, I called to the Lord, he answered me (Psalm 118:5).

Prayer is opening our hearts and minds to God, being before God with open arms – to receive or to give, to change and be changed……..

Shortly before bed time, a little boy lost one of his favorite marbles, a large, colorful one. After searching for it unsuccessfully, the boy approached his father in tears, saying “Can I pray and ask Jesus to help me find my marble?” The father agreed and they both closed their eyes and prayed. The boy prayed with great faith and the father joined him in his prayer: “Dear Jesus, help me find my favorite marble”.

The next day, the father was afraid to ask his son if he had found the marble. He was concerned that the boy’s sincere faith would be hurt if he had not found the marble. The father gently asked: “Did you find the marble, son?’ “No”, the boy replied, “but Jesus made me, it was ok and not to care about it anymore.”

God has more ways to answer our prayers than simply saying “Yes” and granting our wish. Like the little boy, there may be times when we pray about an issue or a concern and simply come to a place of peace about it.

Prayer is looking in the right direction……

Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water moving toward Jesus (Mathew 14:22-33).

He rebuked the wind and the waves. The waves subsided and it grew calm (Mathew 8:23-27)

He got into the boat with them and the wind died down (Mark 6:45-52).

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, British intelligence learned that Japan would attack Singapore, which was under British protection. Although the British knew that an attack was planned, they were unconcerned. Authorities believed that Singapore was safe because it was built at the end of the Malay Peninsula. The jungle protected it from behind and massive British guns aimed toward the sea protected it from a naval invasion.

Yet on February 24, 1942, Singapore was attacked not from the Ocean where the large guns provided protection, but from the jungle. Japanese soldiers made their way through the woods.

In ten days, Singapore fell to the Japanese because the British guns were pointed in the wrong direction.

This story can be a parable for our inspiration and can give us some good insights. As long as we look in the right direction, we will enjoy the abundant life that Jesus spoke about. Remember what happened to Peter. As long as Peter kept looking to Jesus, when he kept his focus on Jesus, he could walk on the water. He shifted his focus, looked in other directions, he began to sink. It is when we shift our focus and look elsewhere that we begin to tremble, sink, fall, etc.

At all times and under all circumstances, keep your focus on the Lord Jesus and you will walk straight on troubled waters.

Take a few moments and pray the following Psalm…….Psalm 20

Psalm 20 may have been a prayer written for David to be used on the occasion of his going off to war. Later years, this was used as a prayer by the high priest for any ruling king, in behalf of the people. In modern times, it has been used as a farewell to missionaries going to foreign lands, as a blessing by the congregation for those who went to war in defense of their country.

Verses 1-5 are a prayer. The “day of trouble” does not mean “one full day” a 24 hour period. It refers to the experience of a person when his/her only defense is “the name of the God of Jacob”. The “name” refers to “presence” – the only defense if God’s presence. Verse 5 speaks of setting up banners in the name of God…giving prayerful support to the one who is off to fight a battle in behalf of the community. For us, this battle could be the many conflicts and struggles of our life.

Some boast of chariots, others of horses,

we boast of the name of the Lord, our God (Ps. 20:8).

Now pray the Psalm below. Pray it first for yourself and those who are in prayer with you at this time. Then pray it for someone else
who needs this prayer at this time.

May Yahweh answer you in the day of danger;

may the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high.

May God send you help from the sanctuary

and sustain you from Zion.

May God remember all your offerings

and accept your burnt sacrifices.

May God grant you what your heart desires

and fulfill all your plans.

May we shout for joy over your triumph

and in the name of our God wave our banners;

and may Yahweh fulfill all your petitions.

Now I know that God saves the anointed,

answering from the holy place in heaven with saving might.

Some boast of chariots and some of horses,

but we boast in the name of our God.

They have bowed down and fallen,

but we have risen and stand firm.

Save us, Yahweh; answer when we all.

Don’t ask God for what you think is good;

ask Him for what He thinks is good for you.

The God to whom we pray is a God of love, who is more ready to answer than we are ready to pray. We do not have to force His Gifts and His Grace out of Him. We do not come to a God who has to be coaxed, or pestered, or battered into answering our prayer. We come to the ONE who simply wills to give. We, actually, come into the presence of the ONE who has already GIVEN. We come with desire in our hearts and words on our lips: “Thy will be done.”

GOD IS PERFECT AND PERFECT WISDOM

WE DO NOT PRAY IN ORDER TO CHANGE HIS WILL,

BUT TO BRING OUR WILLS INTO HARMONY WITH HIS.

William Temple

Fr. Gus Tharappel,msfs

BEING AND BECOMING PRAYERFUL (1)

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

(Psalm 46:10)

Be in your prayer space, follow the usual steps and settle into silence.

Sit still…..Relax…….Do not rush………

Take a couple of gentle, slow and deep breaths…becoming aware of your breath going in and out… stay focused on this breath of life……

Settle into silence, into peacefulness, into profound silence, into pure joy. Keep listening in such quietness and serenity. Come to that place, that space within, that place of deep silence – Solitude…to just being here and now without having to accomplish something.

Now from the depth of your heart begin to wish your mind well……….

Last week we began our reflections on “Prayerfulness” as our theme of Reflection for the year 2009. We reflected on Prayerfulness as an attitude, a disposition of mind and heart, a hunger and a thirst, a longing, an yearning, an impelling desire for God and God’s ways. We now begin our meditations on “Being and Becoming Prayerful”.

Gently…Reflectively…Pray….

Slow me down, Lord

Ease the pounding of my heart

by the quieting of my mind.

Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time.

Give me, amid the confusion of the day,

the calmness of the everlasting hills.

Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles,

with the soothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory.

Help me to know the magical, restoring power of sleep.

Teach me the art of taking minute vacations of slowing down

to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat a dog,

to read a few lines from a good book.

Slow me down, Lord,

And inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life’s enduring values,

that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny. (Kristone)

Deeper prayer implies a need for silence and openness. To pray is to open ourselves to the Father so that our entire life – from the seeking of daily bread to the transformation of the world – is filled with love.

Prayerfulness must be cultivated by interior attitude of adoration, praise, surrender and thanksgiving and expressed in specific acts of prayer.

So we use various types of prayer to attain and maintain our union with God, to capture and maintain a personal and intimate encounter with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Prayer is a personal experience and intimate connection with our loving Heavenly Father.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; Abide in my love. (Jn. 15:9)

The secret of the life of Jesus was his contact with the Father. Again and again, he withdrew to quiet places to be alone with the father. He knew what it meant to “abide” in the Father’s Love. His disciples must do the same.

To “abide” is:    to be in close contact; to be in touch; to be intimate.

            to live an intense, personal relationship.

Paul instructed the Thessalonians, “Pray at all times” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). To pray at all times means to stay connected, to be in touch, to be frequently in contact with God.

“Prayer is one of the ways that God chose to share his infinite power with us”, said Blaise Pascal, the French Mathematician. Just as God shares his power with us by making us “thinking persons”, He shares His power with us by making us “praying persons”.

Not everyone can impact human affairs by thought. But everyone, even someone with a low I.Q., can do so by prayer. God has created us to be more than mere spectators of His creative power. He has created us to share in His creative power. This is part of what it means to be created in the “image and likeness” of God.

“Prayer is the most powerful form of energy one can generate. The influence of prayer on the human mind and body is as demonstrable as that of secreting glands. Prayer is a force as real as terrestrial gravity. (Alexis Carrel, Nobel Prize surgeon).

Take a moment…reflect and pray: You do all you can to develop your intelligence, your skills and talents. How about prayerfulness?

Jesus instructed his disciples: “Ask and you will receive” (Luke 11:9).

Bill was turning his young teacher, Mary, into a nervous wreck. One morning before school Mary was at her desk writing something in shorthand. Bill appeared. “Whatdaya writing?” he asked. “It’s a prayer to God”, Mary replied. “Can God read shorthand?” Bill joked. “He can do anything, even answer this prayer.” Mary said, slipping the note insider her Bible. Then she turned to write on the board. As she did, Bill stole the note and slipped it into his book.

Twenty years later, Bill was going through a box of boyhood belongings. He came across the book and the note, which had now faded with age. He stared at it, wondering what it said. Then he put it in his wallet.

Back at the office, he asked his secretary to translate it. It read: “Dear God, I can’t handle my class with Bill upsetting it. Touch his heart. He’s someone who can become very good or very evil.” Weeks later Bill tracked down his old teacher to thank her for that prayer. It had been answered beyond her wildest dreams.

Asking God is an act of trust that God has power over our lives – that God loves us so much that we can trust him with our lives – our lives’ concerns, needs, etc. We place ourselves in the hands of Our Father. We stand before him with open arms to receive or to let go.
We surrender ourselves to him and remain open to receive His Gifts.

If I never ask God anything for myself, it could mean that I don’t feel worthy of His gifts, worthy

of His love. This can be a barrier to real prayer – to communion with God. It could also mean that I am not willing to be vulnerable – if I don’t ask, I can’t get turned down or be disappointed…

Jesus said to his disciples: “What Father among you will give his son a snake if he asks for fish, or hand him a scorpion if he asks for an egg? If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children good things, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (Luke 11:11-13)

ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE – in God’s time and not when we expect!

Don’t ask God for what you think is good;

ask Him for what He thinks is good for you.

The God to whom we pray is a God of love, who is more ready to answer than we are ready to pray. We do not have to force His Gifts and His Grace out of Him. We do not come to a God who has to be coaxed, or pestered, or battered into answering our prayer. We come to one who simply wills to give. We, actually, come into the presence of the ONE who has already GIVEN. We come with desire in our hearts and words on our lips: “Thy will be done.”

GOD IS PERFECT AND PERFECT WISDOM

WE DO NOT PRAY IN ORDER TO CHANGE HIS WILL,

BUT TO BRING OUR WILLS INTO HARMONY WITH HIS.

William Temple

Fr. Gus Tharappel,msfs