the sensation of life
I have decided to start making some audio recordings of prayers, meditations, and reflective exercises. Sometimes, when I wake in the night, I wish there were some guided prayers I could listen to, to settle me, to connect me with God, to remind me that, beneath it all, all is well and I am safe. … Continue reading Audio Prayer: Simple opening to God’s presence
We are all meant to be mothers of God. What good is it to me if this eternal birth of the divine Son takes place unceasingly but does not take place within myself? And what good is it to me if Mary is full of grace if I am not also full of grace? What … Continue reading Annunciation
There comes a time when God appears to change. This may happen many times in a life. It is not so much that God feels distant or absent, though this may also be the case. It is more that you look for God in the usual place, or you think of God in the usual … Continue reading When prayer stops working
Stop asking God for what you think you want. What God is waiting for is not a right conclusion to a matter but for our suppleness in falling into His hands for Him to work in us.Benedicta Ward, Discernment: A Rare Bird When I ask people what they say to God, they often tell me … Continue reading Preemptive strikes upon the Divine
Too often prayer is presented as petition.But the word ‘prayer’ is simply religious jargon for relationship with what we call God.In truth there are only three prayers. Prayer is properly not petition, but simply attention to God which is a form of love.Iris Murdoch, On ‘God’ and ‘Good’ in Existentialists And Mystics 1. “Here I … Continue reading The only 3 prayers you need
[See Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, & inter-mission] Our human identity therefore becomes one in which we both acknowledge in prayer this dependence [upon God] and respond to the gift that sets up not only our being but our renewed being in Christ; and in acknowledging that dependence we are empowered to ‘do the work … Continue reading An affirming source (5): Relationship
Every day I go to my chair and I sit in the early morning light or dark. I set down my glass of water. I look into Your face. I’m pretty consistent about this. I get anxious if it is put off or I miss the appointment. Every day I struggle.I come with feelings of … Continue reading Are we there yet?
Then sigh not so, but let them go,And be you blithe and bonny,Converting all your sounds of woeInto hey nonny, nonny.Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing People will often say that they can't pray. When asked they will say that they are unable to make their minds still or empty of thoughts. Somehow they have acquired … Continue reading Sigh no more
People are frequently frightened to give themselves into relationship with You. What will You require? But it seems to me You ask so little. It is the intimacy of this littleness that so unsettles me. Rain on the Thames (photo by Julian Maddock)
There were stories this week in the Independent and the Guardian about 130 imams and Muslim religious leaders who have refused to perform funeral prayers for the London Bridge and Borough Market attackers – "a ritual normally performed for every Muslim regardless of their actions". I understand the impulse of this and the political expediency, … Continue reading Mercy