The quintessence of our being is Love. Love is the I Am that is prior to the I am this, or I am that. God is our essence, and our sacred heart is a portal to this remembering. With an attitude of gratitude and humility set aside a bit of time, every day, and PAUSE. Let go of time. Place your awareness within the sanctuary of the present moment. Open your sacred heart and allow God’s unconditional love to flow into your soul, your mind, and your body.
To receive a gift, we must be willing to accept it. It’s our willingness to open to a new experience that allows us to let go of our limiting beliefs and realize God’s power to care for us within the present moment. As we accept God’s love, we find faith and gain the capacity to forgive our self and others. Being human gives us the freedom to be as we desire. God’s grace is always within. But the soft and gentle voice for God is often forgotten by the excitement of ambition, emotions, and fear. Set aside a time each day and PAUSE, be aware of Love’s presence within your sacred heart.
Pray from the Heart (how to pray)
Whether we pray together or alone, pray with an attitude of humility, free of ideas, beliefs, judgments, and prejudices. Place your awareness within the stillness of your heart.
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6.6)
Keep it Simple
“Contemplatives seldom use words when they pray, but if they do, they choose only a few, and the fewer, the better. They prefer a short one-syllable over two syllables because the spirit can best assimilate it.” ~ Cloud of Unknowing suggests Chapter 37
It’s our attitude, our inclination as we pray that is important. The action of prayer forms an intimacy as we turn our awareness toward God.
“We ask especially for freedom from self-will and are careful to make no request for ourselves only. We may ask for ourselves however, if others will be helped. We are careful never to pray for our own selfish ends. Many of us have wasted a lot of time doing that and it doesn’t work. You can easily see why.” ~ AA Big Book, p 87
With a touch of willingness, your heart will open, and you will mindfully awaken into the present moment. Any thoughts of guilt, anxiety, and fear will melt away. Your mind will rest. Serenity and happiness will fill your soul. As we accept God’s grace, we find God doing for us what we cannot do for our self.
Create a Habit of Prayer
A simple person once suggested we keep our car keys under our bed. Then, we create two opportunities to kneel in prayer. One when we place the keys under the bed and the other when we retrieve them. Other’s make a habit of prayer upon awakening before their feet touch the ground and upon retiring at the end of the day. In the beginning, we must find triggers causing us to remember to pray. Over time, prayer becomes a reflex, a habit.
Our ever-repeating turning toward Christ becomes like the waves of the ocean that pound against the jagged rocks, making them smooth. Our fidelity to the stillness of prayer washes away the concealing silt of the false self, exposing before our eyes the obscure promise of that unexpected moment in which we find in ourselves not just ourselves but him.” ~ The Inner Experience: Notes on Contemplation, p20. Thomas Merton
PAUSE ~ every day to pray ~ Everyone benefits
Overlooking the simplicity and power of Prayer is easy. If you’re looking to start a spiritual practice or if you desire more love, compassion, patience, hope, and understanding in your life recite a prayer daily for at least 30 days. Your faith will expand, your relationships will heal, and your mind will become quiet. Life can become a prayer and prayer becomes life.
May peace and Love fill your soul.