I started attending a prayer group at my church, a 6-week seminar on learning how to pray. I’m really digging it. If you’ve read this blog before you know that I was raised a Catholic, spent a few years in an Evangelical Church, and am now a “born again Catholic” and very happy to be one. Happier since my church has this new prayer group.
Last week we actually meditated and chanted. Well, Catholic-style, that is. But I felt like I was back in Bible study at my former church. Here’s the instructions from the *book we’ve been using as a guide.
As a group, spend ten minutes in quiet reflection. Each person closes his or her eyes and relaxes. The leader asks the members of the group to breathe in the life of the Holy Spirit and breathe out all their cares and worries. Then each person is invited to slowly and silently repeat the name of Jesus over and over again for ten minutes. This is called “the Jesus Prayer.”
I was so moved by this experience, mostly by the joy I felt in observing that the tradition in the Catholic church - of being very reserved about one’s faith and relationship with God – is slowly starting to change. And I need that. I want to be a member of the Catholic Church, but I also need to share my feelings about God and Jesus and talk about my walk of faith. And it seems like the two are no longer mutually exclusive.
Say Amen somebody.
* RENEW International: “Why Catholic – Journey Through the Catechism: PRAY”
