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Prayer and Spirituality

How to pray

Recollection / Relaxation / Centering

There are a variety of ways that we can ‘re-collect’ ourselves, detach ourselves from distractions and become more aware of God’s presence. They can be used as a preparation for meditation or simply as a method of prayer in their own right.

  • FOCUS. Try to focus on something physical or imaginary e.g. a candle, an icon, the sunset, a cross, a flower, the sound of water, the aroma of incense.
  • FOCUS ON BREATHING. Without changing the pace or depth, just become more conscious of the rhythm of your breathing. Feel the gentle movement of your chest as you inhale and exhale. You might wish to take this further and perhaps think of inhaling God’s Spirit and exhaling your worries, or perhaps saying something like “Jesus” as you inhale and “Remember me” as you exhale.
  • FOCUS ON THE BODY. Just momentarily be conscious of the different parts of your body. This can be done as a method of relaxation by tensing and then gently relaxing different muscles in turn.

Mantra

Rhythmically repeating a word or phrase over and over again: e.g. “Jesus is Lord” or “Maranatha”. Whilst the words are important they are secondary to the prayer or meditation for which they provide a platform.

The Rosary

The Rosary is the most popular and widely used ‘Marian’ prayer. As with the use of ‘mantras’, the repetition of the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be provides a background or platform for meditation and prayer. There are, of course, designated foci or mysteries associated with the recitation of the Rosary, but it is possible to use the beads and format of the Rosary as a basis for general meditation.

John Main Meditation

One of the most widely practiced methods of Christian meditation is that which the Benedictine monk Fr John Main developed. It is very simple, but effective, and involves the use of the Aramaic word Maranatha (Come, Lord) as a mantra.

  • Find a quiet place, free of distraction.
  • Sit, still and upright.
  • Close your eyes.
  • Slowly repeat the mantra Ma-ra-na-tha over and over, giving equal emphasis to each syllable.
  • Continue this rhythmical repetition for the duration of the prayer period.
  • Allow God’s transforming presence to be with you.

Lectio Divina (Holy Reading)

This is a method of prayer that uses Sacred Scripture and has been in the Church for fifteen hundred years (since the time of St Benedict).

  • Lectio: choose a passage; read… very s-l-o-w-l-y; dwell on each phrase; settle on a word, sentence or phrase that speaks to you; let the words sink into your heart
  • Meditatio: repeat the word / phrase again and again; don’t analyse it – just let it sink into your heart; gently ‘rock’ the word… as one might rock a baby
  • Oratio: speak spontaneously to God; or just wait in silence with God; pray with frank honesty and trust; these are moments of ‘praise’, of ‘thanksgiving’, of ‘intercession’
  • Contemplatio: allow God to show you things in a new light; see everything and  everyone through God’s eyes; take time, don’t rush. If you wish, go back to the first ‘element’ (Lectio)

Taizé

A form of music and prayer which emerged from the Taizé community in France and has become very popular with Christians of all ages, most especially the young. By using simple, repetitive chants (often in canon form) that are usually taken from Sacred Scripture, the music creates a reflective atmosphere that is conducive to prayer and meditation.

Meditation using the imagination

There are endless ways that we can use our imagination as a basis for meditation, e.g.:

  • visualize a scene from Sacred Scripture
  • imagine yourself as a character in a Gospel story
  • imagine that you were on a peaceful beach conversing with Jesus

GUIDED MEDITATION is when someone or something directs our thoughts and imagination. There are many resources that can be used for such meditation.

Liturgy of hours

This form of prayer has been used in Monasteries, and by priests and religious, from ancient times down to the present day. It involves using prescribed texts from Sacred Scripture, especially the Psalms, and is suitable for both personal and communal prayer.