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Ways to Pray

There is no one right way to pray. A story is told about Jordan of Saxony, who followed St. Dominic as the leader of the Order of Preachers in the 13th Century. When one of the brothers asked Jordan to teach him the best way to pray, Jordan reportedly said “The most beneficial prayer will be the one which moves your heart in the most beneficial way.” In other words, pray as you can – God will do the rest.

Here are some ways toward prayer that you might find beneficial.

Gardening as Prayer

Gardeners, farmers, and naturalists, since ancient times, have experienced a kind of indefinable closeness to God when faced with the simple synergy of earth and plants. There is something profound at work in gardening, perhaps, because plant life is created by God and, when we work with plants, we sense a closeness to God. While gardening we experience seasonal connections of faith and nature, and can sense the interconnectedness of all living things.

Gardens, even the smallest one, can become windows to our inner life. Weeding and cultivating, planting and harvesting, celebrating successes and bemoaning failures can teach us more about ourselves than we might imagine. Garden images abound in the scriptures. In the prayer of gardening we come to know that deep within the soul is an inner garden of great importance. There we discover what it means to be more truly human and to relate to one another and all creation in love.

Some scripture references to guide your garden prayer:

Song of Songs 5:1
Isaiah 51:3
Jeremiah 31:12
John 19:41; 20:1-18

Praying with Scripture
Reading and praying the scriptures invite us into an exploration of the Word of God.

Gardening as Prayer
There is something profound at work in gardening, perhaps, because plant life is created by God and, when we work with plants, we sense a closeness to God.

Praying the Rosary
Fingering and moving the beads can calm our spirit, help us focus, and integrate our senses of touch and sight into the experience of God.

Labyrinth Prayer
We walk the labyrinth as we pray or meditate and in the process learn to calm our minds, relax our bodies, and reduce stress by letting go of all that burdens us unnecessarily.

The Contemplative Prayer Walk
The prayer walk is a simple procession of contemplative peace.

Faith sharing Prayer of Small Church Communities
Small church communities provide the opportunity for each member to be valued, to be listened to, and to be empowered to have a voice and the courage to act on convictions.

Liturgy of the Hours, The Church’s Prayer
Liturgy of the Hours, daily office, morning and evening prayer – some of the many names for a prayer that is offered at fixed times of the day and night.

Prayer of Examen
The prayer of examen is an examination of our lives, a way of honestly assessing our lives in the light of God’s mercy. This prayer focuses our reflection on a narrow time span, perhaps the previous day or week.

Meditation as Prayer
In the Christian tradition, meditation is a method of prayer in which we spontaneously respond to God by pondering God’s activity and presence in human history and in our lives.

Centering Prayer
Centering prayer helps us come to contemplation. It seeks awareness of the presence of God by withdrawing our attention from the ordinary flow of thoughts.

Journaling as Prayer
Keeping a journal is a meaningful prayer practice. Putting thoughts on paper as we pray can help us to be more reflective about what we feel and think.

Praying with Icons
Oftentimes in prayer, our imaginations can race in a distracted manner. Icons can help us to overcome distraction. They invite us to focus on an image of the holy that points the way to God.