The Way of Prayer
“You will show me the path of life, the fullness of joy in your presence."
– Psalm 16 –
Praying Simply at Home -
in the Pandemic and Beyond
We are happy to offer you some practical guidelines and resources for praying in your homes. We hope they will open up new possibilities for you.
A Way to Pray
Personally
Personal prayer is an encounter with God, the “one whom we know loves us” (St Teresa of Avila). She also tells us that it begins with “conversation”; we listen to and speak with God in faith. God is always present to us but we need to prepare to meet Him by setting aside a place and time and by providing ourselves with words to address Him.
A Way to Pray
In a Group or with Family
Praying as a group involves all the elements that are involved in praying personally (see left). Added to these, the group needs to be gathered and organized so that the prayer together can be inclusive, respectful of all and reverent before God. This involves special preparation.
Pray with a Carmelite
The Carmelite Saints have the gift of making God accessible, of enabling an encounter.
Praying with Art and Poetry
Poets and artists plumb the depths of the human spirit; their works can help us to connect with our deepest selves. When used in prayer, art and poetry can help us to hold the depths of our hearts open before our God of outpoured love.
Praying for Those in Need
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. The crushed in spirit he saves" (Psalm 34:18).
In the face of great suffering, empty-handed and hope-filled silence can be the best response. Here, we offer some words to help us lean into that place of silence and trust.
Praying with the Prayers of the Mass
Over the past months, many of us have been deprived of the privilege of participating in the celebration of the Mass. This has led to the rediscovery of “The Prayer of Spiritual Communion” which we present to you here. Stay tuned: in the future we will also offer to you here the opportunity to pray with some of the great prayers of the Mass.
What is Prayer?
When I pray what kind of activity am I involving myself in? Am I alone or am I with others? If so who are they and what roles do we play? Fr. Eugene McCaffrey answers these questions in his simple but profound book Patterns of Prayer. Patterns of Prayer is composed of an Introduction and 9 chapters below.
Additionally, purchase of the book can be made here