Rejoice
always; pray without ceasing; give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
(I Thessalonians
5: 16-18)
Grace:
Although each phrase in
this text is fertile ground for sacred conversation, the admonition to pray
without ceasing gives me particular pause.
With the exception of those traditions within Christianity that preserve
forms of The Daily Office—including Morning Prayer, Noonday Prayer, Evening
Prayer/Vespers, and Compline—fixed times of day for prayer are not prescribed
for most Christians. Pray without ceasing, then, is understood by most to mean
“be steadfast or constant in prayer.” By observing an ancient Christian practice
of a breath prayer, I have found a particularly lovely way to enjoy the fruits
of praying without ceasing quite literally. In meditation, I attach to my inhalation an
invocation of God and to my exhalation an affirmation or petition important to
my spiritual growth. The very act of
breathing thus becomes an act of prayer, its fruits revealed in subtle changes
within me over time. My current breath
prayer: “Light of God, illumine me.”
Yasmina:
Grace, I also engage in
daily remembrance of God—during my ritual ablutions, while performing my daily
prayers, and, of course, when I first wake up and just before going to bed. Part
of my daily practice is to recite the phrase “Glory, praise and thanks be to
God” 100 times every morning; then I make a conscious effort throughout my day
to be aware of God’s presence. There are numerous verses in the Quran which are
in tune with your biblical call to pray without ceasing. One of my favorite
examples is “The seven heavens and the earth and all beings therein, declare
His glory: there is not a thing but celebrates His praise; and yet ye understand
not how they declare His Glory!”(17:44) This verse reminds me that when I utter
words of thanks and praise to God I am joining all of God’s creatures in
celebration. I seek to nourish my soul by praising God when I marvel at the
nature around me, prepare a meal for my family, reflect on events and make new
discoveries. As I go about my daily activities, I try to maintain a state of
constant awareness and remembrance of God which humbles both my soul and
intellect.
Tziporah:
Friends, your personal
reflections inspired by these texts remind me of the inherent tension of Jewish
prayer: there is a requirement to recite specific prayers of the liturgy at
fixed times and a rabbinic imperative to pray with kavannah,
“intention.” As you imply, Grace, to pray without ceasing in a literal sense is
not practical, and the rabbis were quite practical when establishing the norms
of Jewish prayer nearly 2,000 years ago. At the same time, they suggested two
modalities of spiritual expression that could be employed without limitations.
First, they recommended the recitation of 100 blessings each day.
Blessings—which have a prescribed formula—serve to elevate our quotidian acts of
eating, drinking and even using the bathroom. Yasmina, I was delighted to
learn from you that Muslims also include 100 praises of God in daily
practice—our traditions share many common rituals designed to help us reach
beyond ourselves. The early rabbis also connected with God through the study of
Torah, which they considered to be a form of prayer. This inspired one twentieth century rabbi to explain his daily practice: “When I pray, I talk to God; when
I study, God talks to me.” I, too, strive to pray without ceasing by reciting
prayers, blessings and Psalms—and by studying Torah—every day.
