Tag: centering prayer

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Fifth Sunday of Lent

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Reading 1: Jeremiah 31:31-34
Responsorial: Psalm 51:3-4, 12-15
Reading 2: Hebrews 5:7-9
Gospel: John 12:20-33

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032121-YearB.cfm https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

And so today we come to the fifth Sunday of Lent. Can you believe it? We’re two weeks away from Easter! I want to welcome everyone to another episode of deacon rudy’s notes! I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and together, we’re going to explore the readings for this weekend.

With two weeks to go, we’re practically in the home stretch of our Lenten season. Today is a great time to check-in on our Lenten journeys. Remember, our goal this Lenten season wasn’t to give up something trivial like a bit of chocolate. We wanted to dig deep and find out what’s getting in the way of our relationship with God. We wanted to identify patterns of sin and root causes of sin, like ingratitude, so that we could lay them at the foot of the cross and allow God to embrace us with His mercy and love.

And we’ve talked about a variety of things we could do to help us accomplish that goal. Maybe you used the traditional Lenten sacrifices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Perhaps you tried the examen, preferably daily. Maybe it was an examination of conscience, if not every day, then at least weekly. That’s also helpful as we prepare for the sacrament of reconciliation.

Maybe we’ve used this Lenten season to develop some better habits, like reading Scripture more frequently. We could link this to the sacrifice of prayer, so maybe you tried Lectio Divina or Ignatian contemplation. Or perhaps you’ve tried some other forms of contemplative prayer like centering prayer or Christian meditation. Prayer can be a sacrifice because we make time to pray during Lent that we don’t usually do throughout the year.

Perhaps you’ve used your Lenten journey to reflect on the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit. What gifts do you have? Do you see the fruits of the Spirit in your life?

And maybe you’ve spent some time thinking about the virtues and which one you’d like to focus on developing this year? Remember, a virtue is basically an intentional good habit. We want to be more intentional or mindful of what we are doing.

So, how is your Lenten journey going? If it’s going well, that’s wonderful! If it’s not going so well, don’t worry! You still have two weeks of Lent to try something.

Why is all of this important?

Well, in today’s Gospel, Jesus explains why it’s important to tackle the root causes of sin. Jesus says, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for enteral life” (John 12:25). Now, Jesus is not telling us we should hate our lives and hate the world around us. Our goal isn’t to become grumpy old people! What Jesus is talking about is spiritual detachment. <1>

Remember, we’ve discussed how easy it is to fall into the empty promises of this world. For example, in an earlier episode, we discussed the many forms of sloth. Perhaps without even realizing it, we’ve been living a life mired in sin! Like the happy pig who enjoys the muck, we might find ourselves enjoying sin a little too much.

Part of this message is to remind us that we want to be aware of and avoid being caught in a web of sin. I mean, at some level, we know better! Right? Like we heard in our first reading from Jeremiah, God placed the knowledge of right from wrong in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). We don’t want to get so attached to sin or to our material possessions that we can’t imagine life without them. Many things might bring us comfort and pleasure, but they’re not essential.

For example, I love coffee! I’m not a coffee snob per se, but I’m close. This is how I used to think about coffee. You know, back in the day when we all used to take trips on airplanes? The flight staff would say should the cabin lose pressure and an oxygen mask drop, that for your safety and the safety of those around you, place the mask over your mouth and nose first and then help those around you.

Well, I used to look at coffee the same way. For my safety and the safety of those around me, I needed to have at least one cup of coffee before anything else happened in the morning. I’m happy to report that after years of diet and exercise, both spiritual and healthy life choices, I don’t think of coffee that same way anymore. Don’t get me wrong – I still enjoy good coffee multiple times a day. But the quality of my day doesn’t hinge on a cup of coffee.

Now, there’s a risk of doing all this hard work of self-examination. If we pay too much attention to our sins sometimes, we get too focused on ourselves. That can lead to analysis paralysis or take us down a dark path. Our goal isn’t to weigh us down. Our goal is to know our sins so we can understand the depth of God’s mercy and love for us. But this process also helps us flourish. It helps us become the people God created us to be – to be the best version of ourselves.

This process helps us honor what Jesus says in the Gospel today, “Whoever serves me must follow me…” (John 12:26). Jesus’s radical detachment is a model for us. It’s Jesus’ radical self-giving love that glorifies God. So too, we are called to give of ourselves unselfishly in our relationships with one another – especially our families, to build up the Kingdom of God on earth and ease the pain and suffering of the poor.

Don’t worry! We still have some time, and that leads us to homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I invite you to reflect on the following two questions. First, how have my Lenten sacrifices or devotions helped me identify the root causes of sin in my life? Second, what are some concrete things I can do over the next two weeks to better prepare myself for Easter?

Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May almighty God bless you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Thank you for joining me today. Silent Partner composed our theme music. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again next weekend as we break open the Word. Peace!

Image Credit: Lent. Artist Unknown. JPG.

Notes: <1> Martin & Wright, The Gospel of John, 223.

Bibliography/Suggested Readings:
1. Healy, Mary. Hebrews. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2016. Kindle.
2. Martin, Francis and William M. Wright IV. The Gospel of John. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2015. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. The history of the covenants: 56-64, 220, 715, 762, 1965
2. Why the Word became flesh: 459
3. Christ gathers us into God’s kingdom: 541-42
4. Christ offers his life to the Father: 606-7
5. Jesus’ suffering in love: 609, 616-17
6. Agony in Gethsemane: 612
7. Our participation in Christ’s sacrifice: 618
8. Christ ascended in glory as our victory: 662, 2853
9. The Spirit glorifies the Son, the Son glorifies the Father: 690, 729
10. Jesus’ obedience: 1009, 2825
11. Order of Melchizedek: 1544
12. Jesus’ prayer for us: 2606, 2741
13. Deliver us from evil: 2850-54

Fifth Sunday of Lent https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032121-YearB.cfm
Year B
Lectionary: 35

Reading 1
Jeremiah 31:31-34
The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers
the day I took them by the hand
to lead them forth from the land of Egypt;
for they broke my covenant,
and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD.
But this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD.
I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives
how to know the LORD.
All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD,
for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.

Responsorial
Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15
R. (12a) Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.

Reading 2
Hebrews 5:7-9
In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh,
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Verse Before the Gospel
John 12:26
Whoever serves me must follow me, says the Lord;
and where I am, there also will my servant be.

Gospel
John 12:20-33
Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast
came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee,
and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”
Philip went and told Andrew;
then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
Jesus answered them,
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me.

“I am troubled now. Yet what should I say?
‘Father, save me from this hour’?
But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.
Father, glorify your name.”
Then a voice came from heaven,
“I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”
The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder;
but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
Jesus answered and said,
“This voice did not come for my sake but for yours.
Now is the time of judgment on this world;
now the ruler of this world will be driven out.
And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw everyone to myself.”
He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

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Ash Wednesday

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Mass Readings

Reading 1: Joel 2:12-18
Responsorial: Psalm 51:3-6ab, 12-14, and 17
Reading 2: 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2
Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021721.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

My brothers and sisters, I hope you enjoyed Fat Tuesday, as different as that was this year for us during the pandemic! But today is Ash Wednesday and we begin our Lenten journey. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Thank you for joining me on deacon rudy’s notes where every weekend we break open the Word! Let’s get to it!

Today is Ash Wednesday and marks the first day of Lent. I’m sure there are many people in the world – isolated because of the pandemic – who can’t begin to imagine what more they could possibly give up this Lenten season. So, today, we’re going to talk about some options as we prepare ourselves for Easter.

First, why do we give something up during Lent? The point isn’t to make us miserable. The point is to help us shift our focus off our first world problems, slow down and grow in our relationship with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If that’s are our goal, then tell me how giving up a piece of chocolate or a glass of wine will help you? It might, as long as we put things into perspective.

What can we possibly give up this Lenten season during the pandemic that will help us grow in our relationship with Jesus? I suggest to you that rather than giving something up, maybe we could add something. I know, I know! Adding something probably means giving something up – a tradeoff. But I’m asking you to hear me out.

If you haven’t been to mass regularly this year because of the pandemic, then perhaps you can go online and make a small donation to your parish, to a Catholic charity, or another worthy charitable cause. Even though we can’t get to church as often as we want, the churches still need to pay their utility bills, and both churches and charities still need to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and care for the sick.

For example, our ministry in Honduras called Friends of Los Niños just kicked off an ambitious project in the village of Brisas del Salto to replace homes destroyed this year by two hurricanes, Eta and Iota. The goal is to replace their homes which were made of wood beams and corrugated steel with cinderblock homes. It costs $5,000 to build one house and we want to build 193 of them! Any amount helps. I’ll include a link to the donation page in the notes for this podcast.

So, we can add a donation that maybe we haven’t typically made. This is an example of almsgiving. But donating can also be a sacrifice because maybe we had other plans for that money. We can ask God to fill the void made by our gift. That’s one way we can use almsgiving and sacrifice to grow closer to God.

Now, what if money is tight right now because of the pandemic? Is there something else we could “add” during Lent? I’m glad you asked!

If you don’t pray every day, maybe you could add a few minutes of prayer time every day during Lent? If you already pray regularly, then maybe read the bible for a few minutes. You could find on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website the readings for the day of the week. It won’t take you very long to go through the readings. I’ll include a link to the daily readings calendar in the notes for this podcast.

What if you are already praying a little and reading a little Scripture. How can you take it up a notch? This might be the best time to try praying with Scripture. Please don’t get hung up on the vocabulary, but we might do this in two different ways. One way is called Lectio Divina. The other is called contemplative prayer.

How do we do Lectio Divina? Here’s the basic formula. – First, there’s lectio or reading a piece of Scripture. You might pick one of the readings of the day. Ask yourself, “What does the text say that everyone should understand?” Second, meditatio, “What does the text say to me today, and to my life?” Third is oratio, “What can I say to the Lord in response to the Word?” Fourth, contemplatio or “What conversion of my mind, heart, and life is the Lord asking me?” Finally, there is actio, which is an important step added by Pope Benedict. “How can I make my life a gift for others?”

Don’t let all those questions intimidate you! You could always try a guided Lectio Divina. There’s a website called “Pray As You Go” created by the Jesuits in Britain, and they have a great app too. I’ll include the link in the notes for the podcast. Online or on their app, you will see a weekly calendar. Click on the day of the week. You’ll hear a great piece of music, and then they’ll proclaim one of the readings of the day. They’ll offer some questions for reflections and give you time to sit quietly with some excellent music playing in the background. They’ll then proclaim the reading a second time asking you a few more questions to consider while you listen. After that, they’ll wrap things up. It’s simple, straightforward, and generally not much longer than 12-15 minutes. I use this app to pray and reflect on the weekend readings a lot of the time as I’m praying with Scripture before I write a homily.

The other thing you could try is contemplative prayer. Thomas Merton, that great, inspired Trappist monk who lived in a community in Kentucky, helped Christianity rediscover the spiritual treasures of the early church fathers and mothers. Now there are two ways to do contemplative prayer: centering prayer and Christian meditation. Again, don’t get hung up on vocabulary or methods. They’re relatively similar.

I practice Christian meditation every day, and I love it! I will leave a link in the notes for this podcast to an introductory video on contemplative prayer. The link will take you to meditationchapel.org. The video is a bit long, but about halfway through the video, two different ladies will cover the basics of centering prayer and Christian meditation. It is really very straightforward.

You can also find all sorts of helpful information at the Center for Action and Contemplation associated with Fr. Richard Rohr OFM, and Contemplative Outreach associated with the late Fr. Thomas Keating OCSO, and the World Community for Christian Meditation associated with the late Fr. John Main OSB. I’ll include links to their websites in the notes for the podcast.

You’ll even find at meditationchapel.org a way to join online contemplative prayer groups happening all over the world at a variety of times.

Now, I know I suggested that you can add things like donations and prayer to your day. But these, of course, do require some sacrifice. The challenge is, are you willing to give it a try? To fit these in your day and your budget, you might need to do a different sort of fast. Maybe you fast a few minutes away from social media or away from the TV or other streaming services. These are indeed legitimate forms of fasting. But here’s a little more about traditional fasting.

In both our first reading from Joel and the Gospel according to Matthew, we hear about fasting. Nowadays, fasting has become in vogue for healthy living. That’s great for us because that means there are even secular websites that will give you tips on how to start a fasting program in consultation with your physician, of course. You’ll notice that in neither our readings today and nor anywhere else in Scripture does it say, “if you fast, do this.” Instead, Scripture tells us, “when you fast, do this.” The expectation in the ancient world is that we will fast.

Scripture testifies that fasting is an essential part of our spiritual exercises. And the good news is that you can fast from food and/or fast from screen time. We can say a simple prayer asking God to fill the void.

This very brief list gives us some options for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that are different from the more common practices like giving up chocolate or wine. Does that make sense? Good, because that leads us to our homework!

As we begin this Lenten season nourished by the Word and the Eucharist, I invite you to reflect on the following two questions.
First, what will my Lenten practice be this year? Can I add a one-time donation, prayer, or Scripture reading this Lent?
Second, whatever your Lenten practice, at least once a week, I invite you to say this variation of a prayer I learned on an Ignatian retreat, “Lord, be with me as I pray, and help me learn how to feel Your presence all through the day.”

I think doing our homework will help us draw closer to God which is the whole point of our Lenten sacrifice. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Thank you for joining me today. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again this weekend as we break open the Word. Peace!

Image Credit: Ash Wednesday. Artist Unknown. JPG.

Bibliography/Suggested Readings:
1. Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010. Kindle.
2. Stegman, SJ, Thomas D. Second Corinthians. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2009. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Christ died for our sins: 606-18
2. Almsgiving, prayer, fasting: 1434, 1969
3. Sacrament of Reconciliation: 1440-70, 1480-84
4. Prayer in general: 2604, 2668, 2691, 2729, 2736
5. The Lord’s Prayer: 2759-865

Ash Wednesday https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021721.cfm
Lectionary: 219

Reading 1
Joel 2:12-18
Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent
and leave behind him a blessing,
Offerings and libations
for the LORD, your God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion!
proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the people,
notify the congregation;
Assemble the elders,
gather the children
and the infants at the breast;
Let the bridegroom quit his room
and the bride her chamber.
Between the porch and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep,
And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
with the nations ruling over them!
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”

Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land
and took pity on his people.

Responsorial
Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17
R. (see 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Reading 2
2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2
Brothers and sisters:
We are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Working together, then,
we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For he says:

In an acceptable time I heard you,
and on the day of salvation I helped you.

Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.

Verse Before the Gospel
See Psalm 95:8
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.

Gospel
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

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My Peace I Give You

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Sixth Sunday of Easter Mass Readings

First Reading: Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
Psalm: Psalm 672-3, 5-6, 8
Second Reading: Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23
Gospel: John 14:23-29

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you,” (John 14:27).

Today we continue to hear what is called the Farwell Discourse from Scripture. There is little time left and what does he tell the disciples? Peace. Even in today’s first reading from Acts 15, we seem to hear that message. After Paul’s first missionary journey, some of the Pharisees are concerned that the Gentiles are not being instructed in the Jewish faith. Remember at this point in history, Christianity is not separate from Judaism. It’s one of many different branches of the Jewish faith. So, some people are going behind Paul and Barnabas and confusing them and stressing them out. But in the midst of all that stress and commotion, the Apostles through their letter wish these communities peace.

Peace.

Jesus says this in today’s Gospel. Peace.

That’s a message I need to hear. How about you? Life can be so hectic – so busy. It seems from the second I wake up we’re racing about trying to get to this or to that. No wonder I feel exhausted at the end of the day! How about you? How many of us get so caught up in the stresses of life that we can barely see straight? Sometimes the world gets to spinning so fast that we’re not sure which way is up and which was is down. We want to connect with the Divine, but we can’t – we don’t know how, and we just don’t have time.

Some people get so caught up in the motions of life that so much of what they do seems blah. Perhaps they’re in a sort of a funk – I don’t know. But everything is blah. For some, they become disillusioned with their faith. I’ll hear people say, “Going to church really doesn’t do anything for me.” Yet, they hunger for something…

The we see it – maybe as a social media ad or a sign on the way to work – an invitation to hear a Buddhist talk about meditation. Sounds intriguing. Maybe we think the West got it all wrong. We’re too rigid or too programmed or too whatever, so our minds turn to the ancient religions and philosophies of the East. We reach out there in the desperate hope of finding peace. Meditation and a nice cup of tea with a bit of honey…sounds good, doesn’t it?

But you know, no outside force can make us find peace. In many ways, that’s why Jesus ascended instead of continuing to live among us. We have to find him – we have to find peace on our own. Is that mean? No, I think that’s just life – that’s just the way we’re wired. So while the Far East ad might sound intriguing and indeed some of the conversation you find there might be intersecting, in the end it cannot force peace upon, nor would it try.

Do you want to know something funny? Many of us in many different situations and circumstances leave home in search of ourselves or in search of something only to realize that what we long for or who we love has been right there at home all along. And the same is true with our faith.

Although we didn’t read it today, a little earlier in the Gospel passage read today in mass, John 14:2 says, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” And in today’s Gospel, in John 14:23 we hear, “Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.”

So many people set out on a journey to find God, but God has been right here, right where we started from the whole time. St. Teresa of Avila, reflecting on this these pieces of the Gospel, called it the Interior Castle. She said we could think about soul like a castle made out of a diamond or very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms. The soul, then, deep within us is a paradise where we can dwell with the Lord. Our soul – within our very bodies – right here, right now. We don’t need to run off to the Himalayas in search of some hidden Buddhist monastery to make a connection with God. No! We simply need to quiet our selves and look inwards to find the Lord.

The very heart of Christian meditation and contemplation is a journey within to experience the Lord. That’s peace!

Homework! Today, I want to prescribe some very different homework today. I’d like to invite you to spend just a few minutes in prayerful meditation. Don’t get hung up on the vocabulary or the process. There are lots of great resources out on this form of prayer – whether you call it centering prayer, or meditation or contemplation. In truth they’re all slightly different. Maybe I’ll dedicate an entire episode to this topic for now, let’s try this quiet form of prayer. Now, our minds – at least mine – is always racing.

There are always thoughts racing from here to there and back again. I suspect I’m not the only one. We need to find a way to gently push these thoughts aside and pull ourselves back to the exercise. Picture yourself floating in a swimming pool and some other floating toy is making its way toward you. If you overreact, you could flip into the water. So instead, we just gently push the other toy away. That’s what I want us to picture with our thoughts too. We’re just going to gently push thoughts away.

To pull ourselves back to prayer, many people find it helpful to have something more tangible. Perhaps you can focus on your breathing? Or perhaps you could hold a rosary and change which bead you’re holding? Or perhaps you could pick a word to help pull you back? Some people might simply say the name, “Jesus.” Ok, ready? Let’s give it a try. We’re actually going to try this exercise just for 1 minute. For this exercise, our symbol will be the name Jesus.

  1. Pick a quiet place where you are not likely to be disturbed for the next few minutes.
  2. Set a timer on your phone. Maybe start out with 3 minutes.
  3. Choose a word or symbol or your breathing to help pull yourself into prayer. Whatever you choose, say to yourself that this word or symbol or breath is my consent to God’s presence during this prayer. For our exercise, we’re using the name Jesus.
  4. Sitting comfortably, take 2 or 3 deep breaths. Feel the tension in your shoulders melt away. Then gently close your eyes and introduce the word or symbol or breath.
  5. If a distracting thought enters, don’t get frustrated and angry with yourself. It’s perfectly normal. Just imagine yourself pushing it away as easily as if you were pushing something in a swimming pool and in your mind quietly say the name Jesus.
  6. If another thought comes, quietly say the name Jesus.
  7. Now when you’re ready, I want you to open your eyes.

What did you think? Sitting quietly is not easy, is it. I find this very helpful especially during adoration, but you can do this just about anywhere. I encourage you to try this exercise a few times this week. As you become more comfortable, perhaps you could add a couple more minutes to your timer. People who use contemplative prayer will often try two times a day for twenty minutes each time, but just take baby steps. I’d love to know your thoughts. Leave a comment the website or send me an email to deaconrudyv@gmail.com.

Got it? Get it? Good! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!