Prayer Time

How Beautiful by Twila Paris

How Beautiful the hands that served

The Wine and the Bread and the sons of the earth

How beautiful the feet that walked

The long dusty roads and the hill to the cross

How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

How Beautiful the heart that bled

That took all my sin and bore it instead

How beautiful the tender eyes

That choose to forgive and never despise

How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

And as He lay down His life

We offer this sacrifice

That we will live just as He died

Willing to pay the price

Willing to pay the price

How Beautiful the radiant bride

Who waits for her Groom with His light in her eyes

How Beautiful when humble hearts give

The fruit of pure lives so that others may live

How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

How beautiful the feet that bring

The sound of good news and the love of the King

How Beautiful the hands that serve

The wine and the bread and the sons of the Earth

How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

This song is a truly beautiful reminder of the Body of Christ. We see the many aspects of the Body of Christ. We first get a mental picture of the Christ that walked the earth, a reminder to us that He lived as we do and walked the dusty roads just as we do. We are reminded of His Humanity. We are then able to visualize the broken and beaten body of Christ that hung on the cross to pay the price for our sinfulness. We recall the wounds that set us free. We envision the Suffering Savior. The song writer then takes us to a verse describing the love which Christ has for us his church and the victory that has been won over sin and death.

It is with the Suffering Servant image that we can most closely relate. We too are broken. We too are weakened. We too are thirsty and tired. We too are known as the Body of Christ, in the title that the church gives to us, His people.

Scripture tells us that when Jesus rose from the dead in a glorified body, His wounds remained He told Thomas "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe". (John 20: 27)

Jesus is asking us to too to touch His hands and believe. The talk I am giving today is about the reasons we pray and some practical tips on having a good prayer life, but before I can get into that we must each begin to believe in the depths of love that God and Jesus have for us.

The same tender eyes that look down on us from the cross, look right into our hearts. The eyes of God see our pain, our sorrow, our sin and they also see our happiness, our joy, and our repentance.

The song refers to us as the Radiant Bride. The bible also refers to us as the Bride of Christ and the Body of Christ. In Psalm 45:11 it – “The King is enthralled by your Beauty; honor Him for He is your Lord.” To be enthralled means to be filled with wonder and delight. We fill our Creator with wonder and delight! God also tells us in His word that we are both fearfully and wonderfully made. These are the highest compliments we could ever receive. They are greater words than anyone on earth could ever shower us with. They are meant for you. No matter whom you are, no matter what you have done or what you have not done – God spoke these loving words to you, God uses these wonderful terms to describe YOU. Do not doubt, touch his hands and BELIEVE. Before your prayer life can really take off, you must know that God finds you absolutely beautiful and is completely head over heels in love with YOU. You are His. Is He Yours?

Is He Yours?

When I was in college I had the opportunity to take a trip to an impoverished nation. The people of this 3^rd world country had nothing. No clean water. No food. No medicine. But they had extreme amounts of joy and happiness. This was before I had really become a Christian and I had no idea why they felt this way when they had nothing. Then one day I caught a glimpse inside the home no bigger than my bathroom. At the center of the home, taking over all of the space was a picture of Jesus. Flowers, rosaries and candles adorned the table that had been made just for Him. The people shared a meal with Christ and slept at His feet every day. The center, the focus of their entire lives was Jesus. He was the source of joy. Do we have Jesus in the same way that the poorest of the poor do? Is He our center? Our focus?

The scriptures instruct us to “Pray constantly . . . always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father." How in the world can we add prayer to the list of making dinner, washing the clothes, bathing the kids, paying the bills, mowing the lawn, exercising, etc. etc. etc.?

Our Catechism reminds us that prayer is not just another “to do”, it is THE to do - Prayer is a vital necessity. I want to share some practical tips with you on how to make your Prayer THE to do instead of just another thing on a long list of errands that needs to get done.

1.) BE YOU – It’s who God made you. We need to get over ourselves and our excuses by just coming to God. So many people, me included, waste their time thinking that they are unworthy to pray to God because of their past sin. So you might not be Holly Holy, but that’s okay. It is because of your wounds that God wants your repentance all the more. Just as the father rushed to embrace the prodigal son when he came home, God will embrace your prayers. He craves our repentance and desires to show us love, mercy and forgiveness, if we will only give Him the chance!

Others say that they can’t pray because they don’t know how. This would be equivalent to us not listening to a 2 year old just because they didn’t know how to talk! In the same way that we would bend down and listen to the child speak while encouraging them to learn new words, God comes down and hears our prayers. He is pleased with our willingness to try and delighted in our humility before Him.

We also must remember that God didn’t make you to be Debbie or Carrie or Mother Teresa. Though they are each excellent models we can learn from, we don’t have to be them. I wasted a lot of time getting frustrated because my prayer time wasn’t going well or so I thought. Then I realized that I was comparing my prayer time to a 65 year old retired woman that I really looked up to. She had time for Morning Prayer, she had time for rosary groups, she had time for daily Mass and Adoration, and she had time for PEACE and Quiet! Then one morning I was laying in bed and by some miracle, my kids were all sleeping, so I was praying God would give me the strength to wake up and have a good morning prayer time. I felt that God was saying this is a gift to you. A gift of rest. I was with you when you were up until midnight talking with your husband, at 3am when you fed the baby, and at 5 am when Georgie climbed into bed with you because he was scared. I know you didn’t sleep…just rest. From that morning, I realized God gave me these wonderful (loud, crazy) children who don’t like to sleep. He understands when I can’t get up to have a Morning Prayer time and He knows my heart. He knows your heart too. He wants you to be you in your prayer time. . He sees each part of your day and He knows your true heart. I love the story about the widow who gives her last penny to the poor. I think of it in terms of my prayer time. “For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” God looks more at our hearts than the amount of “time” we give. Whether or not our prayer is heard depends not on the number of words, but on the fervor of our souls."– St.John Crystodom

2.) Prioritize - However, that being said, we do need to examine our lives carefully. There are probably certain things we can eliminate or cut back on that would allow us to break free from the excuse that we just don’t have time to pray. I encourage you to take a look inside your heart tonight as we pray and worship. Ask God to reveal the things that you could cut back on – TV, internet, reading, even exercising – to make time for Him. Be honest with yourself because God surely does see our know us better than we know ourselves. We can’t fool the Big Man into thinking that we don’t have time, even if we are fooling ourselves.

I’m going to go back to the song for a moment - there is one verse that says:

And as He lay down His life

We offer this sacrifice

That we will live just as He died

Willing to pay the price

Prioritizing will involve great sacrifice. It means giving up some things that we really enjoy doing. It might mean giving up a few moments of sleep or a conversation with a good friend, but we sacrifice because Christ gave His life for us to live. If we really know the power of His great love, than we will realize that no earthly thing is as important as being with Christ each day. We need to think of things in terms of eternity, rather than the now. On the day you die, you will probably not wish that you had spent more time gardening! I am sure when we see the face of God one of the first thoughts that will come to mind is that we wish we would have spent more of our lives on earth centered around His greatness and glory.

3.) Prepare - Prepare a space you can go to pray in your home. My prayer space is in our family room. I love the sunlight coming in through the windows and the gentle breeze helps me feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. When I look out the windows I see the beauty in God’s creation. Others may prefer to have pictures of Jesus, Mary or the Saints, rosaries, relics, or even a lit candle. The space should be free of distractions (aka – kids!) – TV, turns your cell phone off, etc. Just as we may enjoy meeting a friend at our favorite coffee spot, this will become a place where we can meet with God in our home.

4.) Plan - Create a time in your day when you know you can meet with God. Treat it as an appointment or a date that you would never break! It doesn’t necessarily have to be a specific time or for any specific length of time, although most people recommend first thing in the morning for about 30minutes. My planned prayer time is only 5-10 minutes and it comes every day right after I lay each boy down for a rest or a nap. Some days that may be 1pm or others 3pm, but it is my routine to pray first before I go on to do the household chores, return a call, or check my email. I have come to realize that I need God at that point of my day in order to make it through.

As summer comes, the planning aspect is going to be very important. I once saw a church sign that read God doesn’t take a vacation on you; don’t take a vacation on God. While you’re mapping out your vacation destination, look for ways to include a prayer time and include God. Many people will set a specific time and set their cell phone alarms to go off at that time to remind them to prayer. As I said before, it works best for me personally to schedule my prayer time right after a part of my day that I always do. We know that we are going to be eating every day so making prayer time a habit right after eating breakfast, lunch or dinner might work for you on a vacation. Start with just 5 minutes a day and work from there!

5.) Be on the Lookout - Yes, look for ways and times to pray outside of the time you set aside specifically for prayer. This is how we start to fulfill the command to pray without ceasing. There are many parts of our day that we can use as little alarm clocks to awaken us with prayer. I want to share with you how I pray throughout the day in times that are not really my “prayer” time…

- Each morning, Jared and I pray with each other and the kids before he goes to work. Most of the time it’s a quick and simple – Lord, bless our home and protect us through this day – type of prayer. And then we pray again at Bed time prayer with the kids and then with my husband before we go to bed

- In my car, I try to make sure the first type of music I hear is a worship song. Yes, of course this is a plug for Christian radio, but it is also a wonderful way for me to get some good time in just thanking and praising God. The bonus is that my kids enjoy it too. I often have my best spontaneous prayer times in the car!

- Bumps and Bruises - It is inevitable each day that one of my kids will get hurt. They fall constantly, they wrestle endlessly, and they throw balls when no one is looking. I use this as a pray time with them. I pray for peace, for the pain to stop, for God to be with them and for them always to know God’s love. About 90% of the time by the time I have them say Amen they are done with the tears.

- When we hear an ambulance or any type of siren, we always pray for the sick and the dying.

- Laundry: Whenever I am folding laundry – which seems to me to be about most of the time – I also use it as a chance to pray for the family member whose clothes I am folding. It helps the laundry go by faster too!

- Cooking or doing the dishes: I pray for hungry.

- Washing the floors: This is another spot where I seem to have some of my best spontaneous prayer time. I pray for a humble heart, I pray for God to wash away my sin, and I pray for persistence.

- Before and After Meals – to thank God for the gifts we’ve been given.

Basically, you can turn any daily activity or ritual into a form of prayer or a reminder to pray for specific things. These chores can be prompters to our prayer lives. Most of my prayer time is in my home, but you can look for things to pray for in your job too. Maybe before sending an email to someone, say a little pray for them or every time you get a drink, pray for purity in your life. It becomes a habit quickly! Posting scriptures or prayers or even little notes about what to pray for all around your house will help you to remember. So although you might only be able to set aside 5-10 minutes of specific prayer time, you can really be praying throughout the day in all you do!

6.) Invite and Include - If you have kids of any age, invite them to pray with you and include them in these special moments. If your kids are too old to nap, then they are old enough to sit quietly for a few minutes each day this summer to pray, listen to worship music, look at a Bible or read a story about a Saint. While they are doing this, you can have your prayer (and quiet) time too! The benefits of this are great because you will be breeding a culture of prayer. It is great for your kids to see you spending time with the Lord. While I don’t have my specific prayer time with my little ones because it is too distraction, I do try to have a little prayer time for them. We drink hot chocolate or kool aid depending on the weather and read a little devotional book. It takes about 5 minutes! If I forget, they remind me.

Our husbands also need to be included in our prayer. If you have never done so before, I challenge you t ask your husband to pray with you tonight. Your marriage will be greatly blessed by going before God together. If the thought of intimate prayer scares you a bit, that’s okay! An Our Father or a Glory Be is a great place to start.

It is also helpful to invite someone to be your prayer partner. This person could be someone who could hold you accountable by asking you if you have been keeping your daily prayer time. They could also be someone with whom you could pray with – asking them to pray for your needs and you will respond by praying for their needs. This is why we have been given the gift of the church – the body of Christ, so that we can offer loving support to one another.

7.) Visit - In order to have a really good prayer time, you must visit Jesus. You can visit Him during the Mass on Sunday, during daily Mass, in Adoration or in the Sacrament of Confession. Most likely, it will take more than just that one hour in church to develop a strong relationship with Jesus in prayer. Think of it in terms of your husband or close friend…how close would you be to them if you only saw them for one hour each week? It takes much more to make a relationship work. This is another area in which we can involve our kids and spouses…bring them with you to daily Mass this summer or sit in Adoration for just a few minutes. One minute spent with Jesus can provide hours of grace for the week!

8.) Learn - Learn about the many different types of prayer and ways to pray. The best example of prayer we have is from Jesus, Himself, in the prayer the Our Father, but there isn’t really a right or a wrong way to pray.

- Vocal Prayer – (By words, mental or vocal, our prayer truly becomes our prayer. It is in this type of prayer that we can really get our feelings and our thoughts across to God. In vocal prayer, many use ACTS as a sort of format. This stands for A- Adoration, telling God how much you adore Him, C- Contrition – confessing your sins and asking forgiveness, T- thanksgiving – thanking God for all of our great gifts, and S- Supplication – presenting our needs and wants to God.)

- Mediation – (Meditation is prayer that uses are thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. We can mediate on the mysteries of Christ through Lectio Divina or the rosary. We can use Scripture or other Catholic books to help us mediate. This form of prayer has helped me to understand and appreciate the Bible more. Many times I will picture myself in place of one of the people in the story and try to think about how they perceived things. I also use the Psalms a lot to pray in this way because they are so filled with different emotions. )

- Contemplative Prayer (- What is contemplative prayer? St. Teresa answers: "Contemplative prayer in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us."⁶ Contemplative prayer seeks him "whom my soul loves."⁷ This is an inner prayer in which we still meditate, but all our attention is fixed on the Lord himself. For us women, the hardest part of Contemplative prayer is that it is done in silence. We leave our thoughts and words behind and spend some time listening for God’s voice "This little bit of time is my gift to you. I will simply sit here in your presence, focus my attention on you, and direct my love toward you. I will not allow anything to distract me, not anxiety about my future, not worry for the sick, not even a vision of angels. This time in silence is my gift to you.”)

9.) Persist – There are going to be days when you just don’t pray. Sometimes you might forget, other times you might fall asleep, and on some days you just don’t feel like it. We must be persistent in our prayer lives. Each day we can wake up and start again. Don’t let your commitment to prayer be like one of my diets – I do really well for a couple a days and then I blow it and just say forget about it. A prayer time is worth starting over as many times as it takes. It’s worth doing even when we don’t feel like it and we’re tired or preoccupied with something else. For a lot of us, we will have to force ourselves into having a prayer time each day…that's okay. Soon our hearts will start to grow to desire it, to love it and to crave it. It is inevitable that we will all experience some sort of dryness in our prayer time. Almost every Saint struggled with a time in their lives when their prayer was not going well. They just couldn’t “feel” God’s presence.

There are several reasons to persist even though our prayer time may be difficult. The Bible promises us that through prayer we will be united to God, we will become heavenly minded; we will be Strengthened against evil; We will receive zeal and energy to do good; We will be Comforted when we face adversity; and that prayer will obtain help for us in time of need, and the graces we need to persevere in our faith.

10.) Faith - This is how I opened the talk and this is how I will close it. The key to a good prayer life is having faith. Knowing that you are loved. Knowing that God hears your prayers. Knowing that through prayer He makes an impossible situation possible. If you do not have faith, pray for faith. If you do have faith, pray for more faith. In the Bible we hear the simple prayer – Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. Just ask God each day again and again to give you more faith and assurance of His great love for YOU.

I want to close with a story about the faith of my middle son who is 3. A few weeks ago, on one of those freezing cold days, he grabbed a cup of boiling hot chocolate off the counter and spilled onto is arm. As soon as it happened, I prayed over him for peace and for the pain to stop and then put him in the bath tub to cool it down, but as he sat there I saw that it was beginning to blister. The doctor said to bring him in right away. He was screaming on controllably as I got him dressed and loaded him in the car. I then heard is teeny little voice through the sobs asking me to pray for him. I did!! As long as I was praying he was quiet, the 2^nd I stopped the tears began again. Before we went into the doc’s office, I prayed over him for strength and peace. He did not cry again about his burn. The doctor and the nurses were amazed. All the nurses kept peeking into see this brave little boy who sat their obediently and quietly while the doctor scrapped away the skin, washed out the burn with soap and water, put the ointment on and bandaged him up. There was no other explanation, but that God had heard our prayer.

It was his faith that helped him through this and it was because of his child like faith that God responded. Because of my son’s faith, we were able to witness to the doctors, the nurses, and anyone that we tell this story to. The last verse of the song we began with says:

How beautiful the feet that bring

The sound of good news and the love of the King

How Beautiful the hands that serve

When we embrace a life of prayer, God will begin to use us to bring the good news of the love of the King and to serve those around us to the fullest. We will become better daughters, wives, mothers, sisters, employees, and friends. People will notice the fruits of our discipline and hard work. We will have the energy and the passion to serve others and to give of ourselves. We will have the grace to fulfill our vocations. We will have the courage to stand for what is right and true. We will have the wisdom to help others grow in their faith. We will truly become the beautiful body of Christ.

Let us close in prayer. Lord, we ask that you would help each of us here overcome the obstacles that keep us from daily prayer. Help us to put you above all things so that you and your heavenly angels can sing with us “How beautiful, how beautiful, the body of Christ is.” Amen.