The Challenge of Prayer

I don't know about you all, but I have always found growth in prayer difficult. It has been hard to move beyond rote prayers like the Our Father and written prayers like in the Liturgy of the Hours. Not that those are bad ways to pray, just that I sensed there was more....

I realized that most of my prayer was talking "at" God, not talking "with" God. You know what I mean, saying "God, help me do this or that; help this or that situation to work out; help this or that wayward son or daughter to find their way back to you...." Or even more impersonally, dropping a semi-command on God's doorstep and then running off: "God, you'd better get me out of this mess!" Again, very appropriate, and helpful at times ways to pray. God loves us so much, He answers and cares for us even if we don't ask politely or say the magic words, "Thank You!"

But recently I have come across the Ignatian model for praying with Holy Scripture, and I want to encourage and challenge you to try it for yourself. Goes something like this:

-select a passage of scripture (try Psalm 100)
-ask God to help you experience his personal and intimate love for you
-read the passage slowly, paying attention to each word
-listen to what your heart is feeling and
-read it again
-after a bit, write down what you believe God is saying or doing
-share it with someone if you like
-don't forget to say the magic words.....