Walking together in Prayer
In preparation for the Holy Year of 2025, Pope Francis dedicated 2024 as a Year of Prayer. The recent Synod of Bishops reflected on how God personally calls us and central to that is a personal relationship, built on listening. That we allow ourselves, individually and communally, to be guided by the Holy Spirit is important. In your desire to love the Lord more deeply we hope that this material will be helpful.
The Morning Offering
Daily Offering
Loving God, here I am. I know you are always with me. I place my heart in the Heart of your Son Jesus, who gives himself to us in the Eucharist each day. May your Holy Spirit strengthen me to live the Gospel in everything I do and say. For my part I give you this day–all my prayers, works, sufferings and joys–all I am and possess. With Mary, mother of the Church, I pray for the mission of the Church, for all Apostles of Prayer, and for the intentions of the Pope this month.
Amen
The Act of the Presence of God
This exercise helps us to begin prayer in the presence of God.
In your imagination, become aware of God’s presence and attention to you in this very moment. It may be that you can imagine God’s face looking down upon you right now and smiling; or it may be that you can feel God’s breath on your skin; or it may be that you can be aware of God’s touch; or it may be that you simply sense God’s presence.
Do whatever works best for you, whatever allows you to better recognise your Creator present with you, here and now with love. The following steps might help you to get in tune with God’s presence:
• Take a moment to acknowledge God’s specific and loving attention to you in the here and now.
• Feel the warmth of God’s love as God looks upon you, God’s purposeful creation.
• God loved you into existence. God continues to breathe life into you now and sustains you in being. God is inviting you at this moment into an ever deeper relationship of love.
• Just bask in that experience for a few minutes – just as you bathe in the warmth of the sun on a warm summer’s day, so now bathe in the warmth of God’s love for you.
• And as you bask in the warmth of God’s love for you, listen to what God might be communicating to you.
• As you listen, you may feel drawn to make a response, to say a few words to God in the silence of your heart. In responding to God, you may also want to ask God for something, or you may want to pray for someone.
• Maybe you want to thank God for your experience of God’s unique loving attention to you, perhaps in words like these:
“Dear God, I acknowledge that you are looking at me in love and attending to me always and most especially in this moment. I thank you for this time we have had together. I ask you now for the grace to be able to look upon you and attend to you this day. May I also receive the grace to see myself as you see me and to see others in this world as you see them.”
Most importantly:
• Take your time
• Keep your attention on God
• Listen
The Four Anchor-points for Prayer
1. Preparation
The following questions could be helpful:
How am I as I prepare for prayer? What sort of mood am I in? Therefore… What do I want to ask the Lord for? Peace? Generosity? Openness? Trust/Forgiveness? Or what else…?
What piece of scripture, text, hymn, poem, etc, shall I use? If necessary, e.g. with a Gospel scene, read the text slowly several times beforehand so that you are familiar enough with the narrative.
How long I am going to pray for? Be realistic. Where shall I choose to pray? How might I prepare the place? How might I avoid disruptions? e.g. put my mobile phone on silent.
2. Entry into Prayer
• Go to your place of prayer.
• Make yourself comfortable and become still – perhaps using an awareness or stillness exercise.
• Act of the Presence of God (see previous section).
• Make a very slow sign of the Cross (or some other prayerful gesture) – either externally or mentally – and slowly ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray.
3. Bringing Prayer to a Close
• Quietly bring your prayer together and in the light of this, speak with God as one friend to another. Have a heart to heart chat with God.
• Pray a slow Our Father, Glory Be, or another prayer.
• You could make a slow sign of the Cross – externally or mentally – or some other prayerful gesture.
• Slowly leave the place where you have been praying, with gratitude for the time God has been with you.
4. Review of Prayer
Reviewing prayer allows reflection upon a prayer experience that is not helpful during prayer itself.
It is also an aid to discernment of where and how God is at work, helping us to cooperate with what God is doing. The review can also be part of the preparation for further prayer, deciding whether to return to something ‘unfinished’, to savour longer or to move on to new material for prayer. If possible, do this in a different place from where you have been praying. Slowly recall the prayer period – rather like a video replay of the highlights. The following questions are suggestions. Do not try to use them all. Find the ones that work for you:
• Was it good to be at prayer, or not? Why?
• What did you do at the beginning of prayer?
• Did any major idea or ideas occur to you?
• Did you have any strong feelings or emotions? Peaceful, creative, loving – or disturbing, unsettling, confusing, fearful?
• Did you feel God’s love, or were you resistant towards God? Did you learn something during prayer? How does that change how you act?
• Did the Lord ask something of you?
.• Did you find any unwillingness in yourself in face of what the Lord seemed to want of you?
• Note particularly the movements that were strong: high and low points.
• Is there something that feels unfinished, that you are drawn to return to in the next prayer time?
You may find it helpful to jot down your answers!
Journeying into our Hearts .. through various forms of prayer
PEACE
The peace of God, the peace of men,
The peace of Columba kindly.
The peace of Mary mild, the loving,
The peace of Christ, King of tenderness,
The peace of Christ, King of tenderness.
Be upon each window, upon each door.
Upon each hole that lets in light.
Upon the four corners of my house,
Upon the four corners of my bed.
Upon each thing my eye takes in,
Upon each thing my mouth takes in.
Upon my body that is of earth
And upon my soul that came from on high.
'Prayer from Carmina Galetica - ancient Celtic prayers
This resource was produced by the Ignatian Spirituality Centre in Glasgow. Thanks to the Jesuit Institute for the use of their resources.
More information on Jubilee 2025 to be found here. https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html
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