PRAYER IS MUCH MORE
“God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.” – Mother Teresa
These words from Mother Teresa are a reminder to me that prayer is much more than we might think, and there is no right or wrong way to pray.
Prayer is silence and listening and waiting and beholding God. Prayer may be offered with or without words. It is appropriate to stand or sit or kneel during prayer, or any posture in between.
You may pray with your eyes open or closed. Head raised or bowed, covered or uncovered.
Prayer may be read or sung, recited or extemporaneous. Prayer may come from a prayer book, channeling the hearts of others in the faith. Prayer may also be offered from your own heart, being channeled by the Holy Spirit.
There is no time limit on a prayer, such as “too long” or “too short.” Prayer may end with “amen.” Or not. Prayer may be repetitive, memorized, chanted, or whispered.
Prayer may be offered while you are still. Or on the go. Or both. Prayer may be offered alone. Or in community. The setting can be inside or outside. A sacred or secular place. On a mountain. In a valley. In the woods. On the beach. In darkness or light. In rain, sleet, or snow. Humid or dry. Clear or overcast.
Each day of the week is appropriate for prayer. Morning, noon, or night. And in the times between. Many monks and nuns and other uber-faithful people pray the hours, marking each segment of the day as a holy gift from God.
Prayers are offered for friends, neighbors, family, strangers, institutions, governments, those in authority, animals, environments, those who have died, those who grieve. Prayers are even, or especially, offered for enemies.
Prayers are offered for sinners. For saints. For the ordinary and extraordinary. Prayers are offered for teachers, students, adults, children, newborn babies. Prayers are appropriate for those who are sick, along with those who are well.
In prayer, you may give thanks, come to God with a need, confess wrongdoing, confess faith, praise God for the beauty of creation, or just be in awe.
Prayer also happens in between prayers. In fact, Saint Paul commends people of faith to “pray without ceasing.” Which, if you understand prayer as simply relating with God, in any form or fashion, praying without ceasing becomes a bit more possible.
Yes, prayer is imaginative and wide open. And holding the discipline of prayer can be moving, refreshing, comforting – even life-changing.
In that spirit, some Upper Division students and faculty have begun to gather on Fridays before school for a brief service of prayer. Music is offered, Scripture is read, silence is observed, and a variety of prayers are given. A student boldly reflects each week on where they have seen God in the world lately.
In doing so, I pray that we may be able to listen more clearly, hearing God speak in the silence of our hearts.
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These words from Mother Teresa are a reminder to me that prayer is much more than we might think, and there is no right or wrong way to pray.
Prayer is silence and listening and waiting and beholding God. Prayer may be offered with or without words. It is appropriate to stand or sit or kneel during prayer, or any posture in between.
You may pray with your eyes open or closed. Head raised or bowed, covered or uncovered.
Prayer may be read or sung, recited or extemporaneous. Prayer may come from a prayer book, channeling the hearts of others in the faith. Prayer may also be offered from your own heart, being channeled by the Holy Spirit.
There is no time limit on a prayer, such as “too long” or “too short.” Prayer may end with “amen.” Or not. Prayer may be repetitive, memorized, chanted, or whispered.
Prayer may be offered while you are still. Or on the go. Or both. Prayer may be offered alone. Or in community. The setting can be inside or outside. A sacred or secular place. On a mountain. In a valley. In the woods. On the beach. In darkness or light. In rain, sleet, or snow. Humid or dry. Clear or overcast.
Each day of the week is appropriate for prayer. Morning, noon, or night. And in the times between. Many monks and nuns and other uber-faithful people pray the hours, marking each segment of the day as a holy gift from God.
Prayers are offered for friends, neighbors, family, strangers, institutions, governments, those in authority, animals, environments, those who have died, those who grieve. Prayers are even, or especially, offered for enemies.
Prayers are offered for sinners. For saints. For the ordinary and extraordinary. Prayers are offered for teachers, students, adults, children, newborn babies. Prayers are appropriate for those who are sick, along with those who are well.
In prayer, you may give thanks, come to God with a need, confess wrongdoing, confess faith, praise God for the beauty of creation, or just be in awe.
Prayer also happens in between prayers. In fact, Saint Paul commends people of faith to “pray without ceasing.” Which, if you understand prayer as simply relating with God, in any form or fashion, praying without ceasing becomes a bit more possible.
Yes, prayer is imaginative and wide open. And holding the discipline of prayer can be moving, refreshing, comforting – even life-changing.
In that spirit, some Upper Division students and faculty have begun to gather on Fridays before school for a brief service of prayer. Music is offered, Scripture is read, silence is observed, and a variety of prayers are given. A student boldly reflects each week on where they have seen God in the world lately.
In doing so, I pray that we may be able to listen more clearly, hearing God speak in the silence of our hearts.
Berkeley Preparatory School
Founded in 1960, Berkeley is an independent, Episcopal, college-preparatory day school located in Tampa, FL, for boys and girls in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12. Approximately 1,400 students gather here from the greater Tampa Bay area to form ONE Berkeley.