PRAYER PERIOD: ONE

 

Commit to spending 30-45 minutes in prayer each day.

At the beginning of each prayer period:

  1. View your sacred space. Remember God has called you and desires to communicate with you. Make an act of reverence toward God.
  2. Enter your prayer space. Relax your body by breathing deeply and slowly. With each breath you may utter a short mantra, such as “God you are here,” “My Lord and my God,” or “Holy Spirit Come.”
  3. In prayer, the body and spirit work together. Find a position conducive to prayer: sit, kneel, stand, or recline in a relaxed position. Be aware to not be so relaxed as to fall asleep!
  4. In line with this week’s theme of prayer, pray for the following graces: To be more aware of how much God is near; to trust God’s personal care and love for me.

In doing these simple preparatory exercises you remind yourself at the outset that you are not thinking about God but encountering God in a real way.

DAY 1

Isaiah 43:1-7 (“I have called you by name, you are mine”). Pray slowly over the verses. What words or images move you? Consider: Who is God for me? How does God see me?

DAY 2

Luke 12:22-34 (Do not worry; God cares for me as for the lilies of the fields). Consider: What worries or fears do I want to let go of in these coming weeks?

DAY 3

Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shepherd”). Pray slowly and quietly over these verses; say them out loud as you would read a poem. Consider: What words or images move me?

DAY 4

Psalm 131 (“I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother”). Practice resting in the Lord; be still and quiet, not busying your prayer. Consider: What words or images spring from my heart or imagination?

DAY 5

Psalm 139:1-18 (“O Lord, you have searched me and known me”). Consider how does God gaze upon me? How open am I to receiving this intimacy?

DAY 6

ISAIAH 43:1-7 or Psalm 139:1-18. Pray through one of these scriptures again. Note in your journal the gifts and talents God has given you. Note, too, your very human limitations or weaknesses. Remember that God loves you as you are.

DAY 7

Savor the graces of the week. Prayerfully review your journal. Remember the key graces and give thanks to God for them. Make a few notes in your journal about the things that stand out to you.

 

At the end of each prayer period, it will help you to formally bring your prayer to a close, just as you began prayer with certain exercises.

  1. Conclude with a favorite prayer, such as the Lord’s Prayer or with another prayer of your choosing.
  2. Review your prayer and journal. This can be challenging as you are trying to put into words your encounter with God, who is Holy mystery. Although it is challenging, trying to articulate the sublime experiences can help us discern how God is meeting us or leading us in our prayer. Consider the review questions below to help you with this.
  3. Use your body to mark the closing of prayer: such as with an open gesture of the hands or arms, or a bow, or by making the sign of the cross.

Consider the following prayer review questions for journaling:

  1. What were the significant interior movements (that is, feelings, reactions, intuitions, desires, emotions, thoughts, or insights)?
  2. What were the thoughts that came to me (were they negative or positive)?
  3. What were the words or images that sprang from my heart or my imagination?
  4. What was the prevailing mood of my prayer: peace, agitation, excitement, boredom, confusion, calm?