Dear Friends,
One of the recommended practices for leading a long and
healthy life is to breathe deeply. Many of us don’t do so. Our breathing is
shallow. If we were presented with a spirometer (a breath-measuring device –
see picture above), shallow breathers might not be able to move the ball very
high.
Teachers of yoga and contemplative forms of prayer instruct beginners
to breathe deeply. Breathe in. Hold it. Breathe out slowly. Pause. Do it over
and over again. ”Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder,
not imagine, not obsess. Just breathe.” (Love Wish Open.com)
If we are true to our God, we create prayer anew all of our
life. If you haven’t tried it, create a pattern of praying with your breath. Breathe
in slowly. Breathe out slowly. Pause. Do it over and over again. God is in the
breathing. God is in the silence. Don’t be afraid to try it or try it again.
Prayer doesn’t change God. Prayer changes us. We know we
have mastered a soul lesson when the circumstance has not changed but the way we
respond to life has changed.”
Here are some ways that we can carry in our being as we try
to pray in fresh ways.
Believe
that “the more” is imminent.
Resist
trying to end the endless.
Evoke
softness where harshness rules.
Adapt our
thinking to adopt the unexpected.
Thirst
for the Spirit’s sweetness.
Hold fast
to connectedness with the Holy.
Eliminate
yesterday’s failures from our heart.
Be Open to God, who never disappoints our yearnings and our
needs. Breathe deeply.
~Sister Joan Sobala
