Prayerfulness is deeply a part of you: in body, mind and spirit.
REFLECTIONS
- Your Prayerfulness
Peace and quietness are often hard to find in our busy lives, at home or in work. When we are troubled, or have a great sadness we can find it even more difficult to be at peace in ourselves.
Being still with the Lord, giving just a few minutes to him each day will lead you to deep inner peace, calmness and the joy of knowing the Lord is near.
Set aside 15 minutes a couple of times each day to sit alone without distraction. No phones, no television; and no talking. Even if you have a busy day, there are moments before and after you can set aside. Even if there is noise around you, people chattering, children playing, this is your moment of stillness for yourself and given to the Lord. Be honest, don’t pretend you are so busy you cannot find time. Keep to this and find the calmness and inner peace that comes from the Lord.
In this stillness take time to read a passage from the bible. We are listening to the Word of God. Then in our prayers we are answering him, responding to his Word.
He invites us to sit with him; to speak with him. Take it slowly. No rushing.
Calmness, quietness and peace.
“…..in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15
Prayerfulness is a state of being deeply a part of you in your body, mind and spirit. Whether you are a person of faith and religion, or a person with no particular faith or religion Prayerfulness is for you. It may be called by another name or practice or discipline – but it is essentially the same kind of thing.
The state of being and discipline of Prayerfulness can be followed in moments of quiet, in community gatherings – and when we are at work and play – it can be with you all the time – deeply in your body, mind and spirit.
For those who have a faith or are part of a religion, Prayerfulness can be rooted in that faith and in the history and traditions of that religion. It finds expression in the customs and practices of their religion.
For people of the world faiths their Prayerfulness is deeply rooted in their history and religion. In them we have wonderful examples of devotion and daily prayer. We can learn from each other.
For the Christian their Prayerfulness is rooted in two thousand years of tradition, teaching and learning, and in the Scriptures – and in turn it is rooted in about a further three thousand years of the Jewish faith and history. For us today, in this rich tradition and history there are many examples and practices to learn from and to follow in our own daily prayer and worship.
We can discover and learn from Scripture and the living traditions of the Church, expressed in its many forms and communities around the world.
The Lord himself has given us, and continues to give us, an intimate example and teaching of how to be Prayerful.
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Welcome to Prayerfulness.com
Prayerfulness.com hopes to support you in your own Prayerfulness and in your daily prayer and reflection.
There are some examples of daily prayer, and links to websites that have an extensive range and examples of prayer; there is a page where you can share your prayers for yourself and loved ones, friends and neighbours; a page for your prayers of thanksgiving; and you can follow the daily scripture readings in your times of prayer and reflection.
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Deep in us is the desire to find and speak with our Creator, who has called all of us from all eternity to know, love and honour. Each day we are searching. The Creator wishes to be found. Also we can find the Creator through each other, through the world around us and within ourselves.
The Lord Jesus has shown us the way to find him. The followers of the Lord shared may days and months with him, and shared in daily prayer and the festivals and celebrations of the Hebrew calendar. They also saw him in quiet prayer and knew that he would often be alone in prayer. This had a such a profound affect on them, they wanted to imitate him. So they asked him: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11.1-4; see also Matthew 6:7-13). He taught them and us The Lord’s Prayer as a model for what we should pray.
(See Daily Prayers/Prayers 1).
Each day set aside time for daily prayer – to be still and quiet. (See Time for Prayer)
You do not need to use lots of words. Read the Gospels of St Matthew 6:1-15 and St Luke 11:2-4, Jesus gives us the Lord’s Pray, the Our Father.
At times it will be enough to be still, and at times it will be enough and wonderful just to say and repeat one word or a short phrase, or to repeat just one prayer. This could be your MANTRA: a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation. Many who have grown in Prayerfulness follow this way of prayer or meditation or deep contemplation.
Often also it is wonderful, and helpful, and can also be a meditation, to read or recite a set of prayers. This would also include a passage from the bible or from another writer whose work you have found inspiring and helpful.
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The examples included in Prayerfulness.com are suggested sets of prayers to help you:
There are more suggestions in the HOURS OF THE DAY and in DEVOTIONS.
Follow the DAILY READINGS from Scripture, and read and reflect on them as part of your daily prayer.
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Follow the Sunday readings from Scripture, and read and reflect on them as part of your daily prayer.
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Today's Prayer
Lord, teach us to pray.
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Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reproduced with Permission.
Excerpt from THE GRAIL PSALMS, with permission of A P Watt at United Agents on behalf of The Grail, England. Copyright © 1963 by The Grail, England.
Copyright © 2019-2024 Prayerfulness.com. Users must not reproduce, download, store in any medium, distribute, transmit or retransmit or manipulate any text contained in this website except for non-commercial worship purposes. Thank you.
Follow the daily readings from Scripture, and read and reflect on them as part of your daily prayer.
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| Day | Date | Old or New Testament Reading | Psalm or Song | New Testament Reading | Gospel Reading |
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Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reproduced with Permission.
Excerpt from THE GRAIL PSALMS, with permission of A P Watt at United Agents on behalf of The Grail, England. Copyright © 1963 by The Grail, England.
Copyright © 2019-2024 Prayerfulness.com. Users must not reproduce, download, store in any medium, distribute, transmit or retransmit or manipulate any text contained in this website except for non-commercial worship purposes. Thank you.
Follow the daily readings from Scripture, and read and reflect on them as part of your daily prayer.
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
| Day | Date | Old or New Testament Reading | Psalm or Song | New Testament Reading | Gospel Reading |
_________________________________________
Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reproduced with Permission.
Excerpt from THE GRAIL PSALMS, with permission of A P Watt at United Agents on behalf of The Grail, England. Copyright © 1963 by The Grail, England.
Copyright © 2019-2024 Prayerfulness.com. Users must not reproduce, download, store in any medium, distribute, transmit or retransmit or manipulate any text contained in this website except for non-commercial worship purposes. Thank you.