PRAYERWAYS......

"Prayerways"

A prayer takes just a matter of seconds to utter, but its influence on our lives can be permanent. I apply the following phrase to the process of my prayer life. ‘A moment on our lips is a lifetime on our souls.’ A simple prayer can change us; can lead us on the path to healing ourselves and our world. So pray. Pray for peace, pray for healing, pray for love, pray for mercy, pray for forgiveness, pray for advances in science, pray for the strength to eradicate poverty and disease, pray to overcome injustice, pray for resolve, pray for others, pray for acceptance, pray for our poor, abandoned and homeless, pray for yourself. Pray to God with all your heart and soul, and then gather up your might to meet the challenges that lie ahead and we all know at this present time in our wonderful county and country that we need that help and strength to make the lives of our children brighter, so let's get doing it for our beautiful children. Prayer is asking. Prayer is pleading. Prayer is praising. Prayer is loving. Prayer is merciful. Prayer is thanksgiving. Prayer is forgiving. But the ultimate goal of prayer is personal intimacy with God. Millions of people pray every day for a variety of different reasons. Whether you’ve found yourself in need of a listening ear or you want to praise a recent triumph, prayer has the ability to help people feel more grounded as they communicate with a higher power. How and when you pray depends upon your religion. In some religions, prayer is spoken aloud in a chant, sometimes as a group and others as an individual. Group prayer is believed to have more power because there are a greater number of people communicating at the same time for the same things. Whether you are someone who has made your declarations known about praying for others or criticized the declarations of others, or had your thoughts known only by God, the invitation to prayer is the same: Kneel before the God of the universe, humbly seek his help and intervention, and ask him how he might use you as a vessel of justice and peace in the world and go then and put action into your prayer.

May your prayer be a blessing for others

All people of faith struggle at times to maintain a meaningful prayer life, a loss felt all the more keenly in times like ours of confusion, political turbulence, injustices of all sorts and global calamity. Prayer is not a passive activity. Prayer awakens us. Our eyes begin to notice beauty where we never noticed it before. Our hearts begin to feel compassion, forgiveness and mercy we never knew we had. Our priorities shift. As we talk to God, we receive the encouragement to live up to the potential inside us. Soon we start to see beyond ourselves into the world that is waiting for our help. I believe God is listening. And I believe God answers us. God’s answer to our prayers may be very different from the answer we were searching for. God’s reply might come as the strength to fight on. It may come as the courage to face what we have feared. God’s answer may be the ability to accept what we have been denying. Or it may appear as hope in the face of despair. We are not alone. God is present in our lives. When we stop bargaining with God and start opening up our souls to God, our prayers suddenly start working. We can pray for strength and receive strength. Prayer is ultimately an experience, not a request. It is a sense of being connected, of being part of something larger than ourselves. It is an attempt to be in the presence of God.

My prayer for you is that you may always rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray with many. Pray often. God will listen, if you only speak.  Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy and greed stem from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance. Search for yourself, be yourself. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road and yours alone. Others may walk it with you but no one can walk it for you. Treat the guests in your home with much consideration. Serve them the best food, give them the best beds and treat them with respect and honour. Do not take what is not yours whether from a person, a community, the wilderness or from a culture. If it was not earned or given, it’s not yours. Respect all things that are placed upon this earth - whether it’s person, animal or plant. Honour other people’s thoughts, wishes and words. Never interrupt another or mock or bully or rudely mimic them. Allow each person the right to personal expression. Never speak of others in a bad way. The negative energy that you put out into the world will multiply when it returns to you. All persons make mistakes. And all mistakes can be forgiven. Bad thoughts cause illness of the mind, body and spirit. Practise optimism. Nature is not for us, it is a part of us. They are part of your worldly family. Children are the seeds of our future. Plant love in their hearts and water them with wisdom and life’s lessons. When they are grown, give them space to grow. Avoid hurting the hearts of others especially those of children. The poison of your pain will return to you. Be truthful at all times. Honesty is the test of ones will within this world. Keep yourself balanced. Your mental self, spiritual self, emotional self, and physical self - all need to be strong, pure and healthy. Work out the body to strengthen the mind. Grow rich in spirit to cure emotional ailments. Make conscious decisions as to who you will be and how you will react. Be responsible for your own actions. Respect the privacy and personal space of others. Do not touch the personal property of others. Be true to yourself first. You cannot nurture and help others if you cannot nurture and help yourself first. Respect others beliefs. Do not force your belief on others. Share your good fortune with others. Participate in charity. As usual a nice story from my Nana Scully's prayer book might help..

God knows how much a Prayer weighs!

"Berela Dunne, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work. They had seven children and they needed food. John Murphy, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store. Visualizing the family needs, she said: "Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can." John told her he could not give her credit, as she did not have a charge account at his store. Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family. The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list?" Berela replied, "Yes sir." "Okay" he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries." Berela hesitated a moment with a bowed head. Then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed. The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scale went down and stayed down. The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it." The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more. The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a grocery list. It was instead a prayer which said: "Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands." The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence. Berela thanked him and left the store. The customer handed a fifty euro note to the grocer and said, "It was worth every penny of it." It was sometime later that the grocer discovered the scales were broken; therefore, only God knows how much a prayer weighs!!

As a final thought, may I offer up this comfort blessing or a prayer of mine for you the reader on your life's journey that you may see the light in the darkness during these challenging times! May you feel the loving presence of those who hold you in their thoughts and prayers! May your spirit find what it needs to sustain you on this journey of life! May you discover your inner strength and face all difficulties with dignity and grace. May you be filled with comfort, love, acceptance, strength, grace and a lasting sense of peace! May the light of your soul guide you. May the light of your soul bless the work that you do with the secret love and warmth of your heart. May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul. May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light and renewal to those who work with you and to those who see and receive your work. May your work never weary you. May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration and excitement. May you be present in what you do. May you never become lost in bland absences. May the day never burden. May dawn find you awake and alert, approaching your new day with dreams, possibilities and promises. May evening find you gracious and fulfilled. May you go into the night blessed, sheltered and protected. May your soul calm, console and renew you. May there always be work for your hands to do. May your purse always hold a coin or two; May the sun always shine on your windowpane; May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain; May the hand of a friend always be near you; May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you. May the blessing of God's soft rain be on you, Falling gently on your head, refreshing your soul. With the sweetness of little flowers newly blooming. May the strength of the winds of Heaven bless you, Carrying the rain to wash your spirit clean. Sparkling after in the sunlight. May the blessing of God's earth be on you, And as you walk the roads, May you always have a kind word for those you meet. May joy and peace surround you, contentment latch your door, and happiness be with you now and bless you evermore! May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow. May the soft winds freshen your spirit. May the sunshine brighten your heart. May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you, and may God enfold you in the mantle of His love now and always. I also pray for us all to have the power to be gentle, loving, kind and caring to one another and to ourselves; the strength to be forgiving and be forgiven; the patience to be understanding and compassionate and merciful; and the endurance to accept the consequences of holding to what we believe to be right and good and peaceful. May we put our trust in the power of good to overcome evil and the power of love to overcome hatred. Pray for the vision to see and the faith to believe in a world emancipated from violence, hatred and war, a new world where fear shall no longer lead men and women to commit injustice, nor selfishness and unkindness to make them bring suffering to others. Help us to devote our whole life and thought and energy to the task of making peace and a better life for people and children in need in our world and country, praying always for the inspiration and the power to fulfill the destiny for which we and all people were created and that we will always look after the needy in our county, our country and in our world especially so many vulnerable and needy people in our country and world who are in serious need at this time. Remember change starts within yourself and that you can't change others you can only change yourself so be a change for goodness and genuineness in your own life and always remember for evil to exist it takes good people to remain quiet. Much peace and love to everyone. Also Some friends and family asked me to light a candle for them recently and some friends and family are in need of a prayer and candle at this moment especially any of you that are unwell or ill or in hospital or suffered an accident or a loss or some who are having worrying times with family and financial problems and for some who are lacking peace and mercy in their lives. For them and for all of us I offer up my prayers and candle through this thought for the week and especially for peace in all our lives and in our families and in our world. Amen.