You pray for the hungry. Then you feed them. That’s how prayer works.
Pope Francis.
Prayer of the Heart - Christian Meditation
PART II IN A SERIES ON MEDITATION and FAITH
We learned in the last blog that we are born meditators: contemplative prayer, meditation, is found in some form in every major world religion.
Christian Meditation is a tradition introduced by the mothers and fathers of the desert in the 3rd and 4th century and reintroduced to the western world by Father John Main in 1974. The word meditation and its connection with the Latin - sto in medio, ‘I stand in the center’ indeed means learning to live out of your center. Your center is the place deep inside where God, Supreme Being, Creator, resides - bringing life, beauty, and truth.
When we pray we use the mind and the heart. Most of our training in prayer, however, is limited to the mind which thinks, questions, plans, worries, fantasies. The heart is what knows – it loves.
We were taught as children to say our prayers; praying was talking to God about needs, desires, wants, ours or others. But this is only half of the mystery of prayer. When we pray from the heart we are not thinking of God or talking to God or asking for anything. We are simply being with God who lives in us as the Holy Spirit, the gift of the risen Christ - John 16:7. It is in the silence of meditation we come to self-knowledge and self-acceptance in God which is a very different kind of knowledge than that which comes to us from other sources.
Christian Meditation is utter simplicity; it is an act of faith. In meditation we turn the spotlight of consciousness off ourselves. The ego of course doesn’t like being suppressed or controlled. This is achieved by saying a prayer word or mantra continuously from the beginning of the prayer time to the end.
Practice
Choose a time and place.
Honour the time faithfully even though you think you are not getting anything out of it.
Sit comfortably with your back in the upright position.
Feet on the floor.
Eyes lightly closed.
Hands resting comfortably on your lap.
Be aware of your breath and start saying your mantra, prayer word.
A recommended mantra is maranatha, Come Lord Jesus. It is Aramaic the language Jesus spoke.
Say it in 4 distinct syllables in sync with your breath – ma ra na tha. At first it feels awkward but persevere. For further information check out the World Christian Meditation link at www.wccm.org
Stay tuned.
-Sister Ann Marshall, csj
Sister Ann Marshall works on Christian Meditation in the classroom, in partnership with teachers in the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board.
Reference: Christian Meditation by Laurence Freeman, OSB | NOVALIS
International Sisters of St. Joseph Pray for Peace and Healing in our World
In the midst of the world’s woes of ragging fires, torrential storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, aggression, and violence, for one quiet hour on Saturday, August 28 hundreds of Sisters of St. Joseph and Associates throughout the world settled into a period of reflection and prayer for the sake of our cherished earth and its peoples.
The international CSJ Chambéry Congregation designed and hosted the prayer hour using quotes from Pope Francis’ encyclical Fratelli tutti. Readings and prayers were spoken in various languages: Italian, French, Portuguese, English, with music in those languages as well as being sung in Urdu. To focus our reflection the hour was divided into these topics cited in the encyclical: Social Friendship, Envisaging and Engendering an Open World, A Better Kind of Politics; A Heart Open to the World; Dialogue and Friendship in Society; Paths of Renewed Encounter; and Religions at the Service of the Our World. Each focus contained brief statements, prayer, and song.
If you wish to join in the prayer:
Go to the home page of the Chambery congregation: https://www.csjchambery.org/pt/inicial
Click on the symbol for Facebook.
Why was this moment significant?
The energy of solidarity and compassion released a deep hope across the earth, rising from major continents with a heartfelt cry for healing. We were blessed to participate.
We know that many other faith communities hold similar events of prayerful reflection, contemplation, and petition. We join this singular moment on August 28th in solidarity with all who strive to bring healing and wholeness to our world.
Image from Unsplash, created by Elena Mazhvila @miracleday
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
18 - 25 January 2021
At least once a year, Christians are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (see John 17:21). Hearts are touched and Christians come together to pray for their unity. Congregations and parishes all over the world exchange preachers or arrange special ecumenical celebrations and prayer services. The event that touches off this special experience is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
The 2021 theme – Abide in my love and you shall bear much fruit (John 15:5-9) – calls us to pray and to work for reconciliation and unity in the church, with our human family, and with all of creation. Drawing on the Gospel image of vine and branches, it invites us to nourish unity with God and with one another through contemplative silence, prayer, and common action. Grafted into Christ the vine as many diverse branches, may we bear rich fruit and create new ways of living, with respect for and communion with all of creation.
Please join us during these challenging times of the pandemic, to pray for unity not only among Christians but among all peoples.
https://www.weekofprayer.ca/2021-week-prayer-christian-unity
-Sister Magdalena Vogt, cps
National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas is celebrated on the National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples, December 12th. A feast commemorating a religious event in the 16th century is now intertwined with our growing awareness of Indigenous peoples throughout the world – their strength, resilience, and rightful place in society. In the film The Condor and the Eagle we see such strength and resilience as four Indigenous leaders make a trans-continental journey from the Canadian plains to the heart of the Amazonian jungle. Their purpose - to unite the peoples of North and South America and deepen the meaning of "Climate Justice."
At the heart of the journey is the indigenous prophecy “When the eagle of the North and the condor of the South fly together, Indigenous peoples will unite the human family.” This underlies the amazing story, as we watch a shift of identity. Once forgotten voices rise to become strong communities with power to bring change to their world.
The experience of Juan Diego filled him with hope and belief in the spiritual protection offered through his extraordinary experience.
With the struggle and dialogue of Indigenous people in Canada, new hope is rising. This month the Liberal government of Canada introduced legislation to begin the process of bringing Canadian law into alignment with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP). Lots of hard work and dialogue lie ahead, but the shift has begun.
www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberals-introduce-undrip-legislation-1.5826523
As we remember the Indigenous saint of the South, we celebrate yet one more step in the North to live into reconciliation.
-Sister Loretta Manzara, csj