Prayer Walking
From the Desk of Father David
Dear Friends in Christ,
Helen Keller reminds us, “When one door of happiness closes, another one opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” During these hard times where many doors have closed, there are new doors opening. With the grace of God our eyes can see the joys around us. One of the doors we need to throw open is the door of our heart and invite the Risen Lord Jesus to dispel fears and worries, but most importantly to deepen our friendship with Him. This is a great time to allow our love for Christ to grow and for Him to reassure us of His tremendous love for us. Jesus is proud to call you His brother or sister because He does not focus on your sins but on the beauty of your life, especially your love for Him and each other.
Today’s Gospel is the story of how the disciples experienced Jesus as they walked to Emmaus and encountering the risen Lord in the breaking of the bread. As they reflected on walking with Jesus they said “Were not our hearts burning [within us] while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” Today’s bulletin talks about prayer walking. Prayer walking can happen anywhere even in your home. Here I would just like to give a few suggestions. First, disconnect yourself from phones and worries. It is so easy to be walking and missing everything because you are constantly thinking about the same thing over and over. Second, walking with an open mind, not trying to accomplish anything helps you to be open to God. The bible tells us that God loved to walk with Adam in the cool of the evening.
Third, ask Jesus to walk with you. With an open heart give Jesus all that He wants and allow Him to pour into your heart all good things. Fourth, when you walk you can spend some time in formal prayer, but I strongly suggest not for the whole walk. For part or all of the walk, try to stay tuned in to what you are seeing, hearing and to the gentle voice of Jesus. Don’t be afraid to talk out loud to Jesus to help you focus on Jesus’ presence. if anyone sees you talking they will just think you are talking on your phone. Fifth, after you are done walking don’t forget to thank Jesus for being with you. When you are walking, even if it is inside the house, please give this a try.
I know how difficult it is not to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. I am planning on converting my screened porch into a temporary altar so that the Blessed Sacrament can be exposed at all times. From the screened porch the Blessed Sacrament can be seen throughout the parking lot. You can stay in your cars and pray before Jesus. When people come they must keep social distancing for this to continue. Watch the parish webpage for details.
May the Lord Jesus continue to reveal His loving presence among us and may our hearts burn with Divine Love. May the Holy Family surround us with their protection, peace, and love.
In Christ’s peace,
Fr. David
