Three ways of praying

From the Desk of Father David

Dear Friends in Christ,

            You are my beloved daughter.  You are my beloved son.  At your baptism God the Father called you His beloved child and poured His Spirit into your heart.  This action of God bonded the two of you together forever.  At different times during the Church year, the priest can choose to do the renewal of baptismal promises instead of the penitential rite.  Every Easter it is definitely used, because the new life Jesus offers us comes from knowing we are a beloved child of God.  As a child of God and a sister or brother of Jesus we want to avoid all that is evil and cling to the Trinity and that is exactly what our Baptismal promises ask us to do.  It is hard to do this because evil always presents itself as good.  Prayer strengthens our bond with God which enables us to live as children of God and treat others as children of God even when they aren’t acting as children of God

            Volumes of great works have been written on prayer and different ways of praying.  If interested Deacon Tom, Sister Elizabeth or myself can suggest good reading materials.  I would like to mention three ways of praying.

1. Deeply Breathe in God’s love, hold your breathe for a few seconds, then breathe out your concerns into God’s hands.  Continue praying this way for a few minutes or longer.

2. The Jesus prayer dates back hundred of years.  The heart of the Jesus prayer is “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” The word mercy is more than asking for forgiveness, it is begging Jesus to come and help.  You can connect the prayer to your breathing.  When you breathe in you say “Lord Jesus Christ,” pause, then breathe out “have mercy on me.”  Continue praying this way for as long as you like.  It is suggested that you pray this way throughout your day.

3. Occasionally, when praying the Hail Mary or Our Father add slight pauses throughout the prayer to help you let the words sink into you.

            May we always find time to pause and pray throughout our day.

            May the grace of God keep you grounded in His love and assist you in living as His child.

                                                                                    As your brother in Christ,

                                                                                    Fr. David