BEING AND BECOMING PRAYERFUL (12)

BEING AND BECOMING PRAYERFUL (12)

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 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………..

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

Our last meditation was on being attentive to the deepest desires of our hearts – desire for, forgiveness, healing, peace, harmony, integrity, wholeness, holiness and everything that can bring our wills into harmony with the will of God. We want to continue to nurture this desire. This meditation again is another opportunity to dwell in God’s presence and hunger and thirst for His will and purpose for us.

Take a few deep breaths right now…slow and gentle!

Breathe in God’s Way and breathe out my way – God’s way in, My way out.

You may not be happy about it right now, but in the bigger picture of life, you’ll be glad you chose to surrender to God.

Pray from your heart……

O God, this morning I have come into the quietness and stillness of your presence, to begin the day, so that out of this moment, I may take with me a quiet serenity, which will last me through the rough and smooth of this day’s life. Many hours of the day are waiting to be filled a hundred ways with a hundred prayers. But, right now, at this very moment, I am at peace. You have blessed and Graced my day. I walk with you, God. I sit with you, God. I run with you, God. Thank you for the morning…Thank you for stillness….Thank you for blessing and grace…..Thank you for peacefulness…..Thank you for just being, for me, God…..Thank you. Amen

I have come with gratitude and with a prayer in my heart …….

• for the talents and the abundance of gifts that you have blessed me with………..
• for the faith that moves, stirs and grows in my heart…….
• for the many people who have been instruments of your goodness in my life…..
• for the moments that I have known your presence in my life….
• for the times I have been instrument of your goodness and grace and love……
• for the miracles of your love that I have witnessed…..
• for the wonder of your creation all around me…….

I have come with hope and a prayer in my heart for trust……..

• when I am afraid and lose confidence in me and in you…….
• when the busyness and schedules of my day press upon me and I become tense and nervous and doubtful…..
• when I doubt your presence in difficult moments in my life…..
• when I lose sight of your grace and blessings in my life…..
• when emptiness, loneliness and other such slings and arrows come my way…….
• when I struggle to be good and share your goodness with others

I have come seeking you with a prayer in my heart……..

• deep within my being, deep in my heart where justice and truth, love and peace embrace………….
• in the midst of my daily activities and the many things-to-do that keep me on the move…..
• among many people who come into my life……………..
• in the successes and disappointments of my daily activities……..
• in the books I read, in the news I hear, in the noise of the surroundings……..
• in the truth I discover, in the uncertainties I encounter……..
• in the wonderful people and in the not so wonderful people I meet…

I have come affirming with a simple and humble prayer in my heart…..

• that you are worth my constant search…….
• that you are in my life every moment of the day….
• that you walk with me as I walk toward you…..
• that you carry me through when I am unable to walk……
• that you pick me up and put me on the road when I stumble and fall…..
• that you are my strength in time of sorrow, hope in times of distress, comfort in times of confusion, safety in times of danger….
• that you are worth my sacrifice, my letting go off whatever I hang on to………
• that you seek me, trust me, love me unconditionally……..
• that you wait for me to welcome me home………
• that you, my God, are my home. Amen

Amen. May it be so. May YOUR WILL happen.

And, finally, Lord, I surrender to you and your way.

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Pray this again, gently, slowly

You have prayed,

I have come with gratitude….

I have come with hope….

I have come seeking…

I have come affirming……

Now write your own prayer by completing the sentence,

I have come………..

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