PRAYER & SPIRITUAL PRACTICE - Feb 2011
Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “Prayer is not an old woman’s idle amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument in action.” Is there a place in our lives for prayer, or have we rejected it along with other theological constructs too uncomfortable for us to use?
Many people, even long out of practice, return to prayer when crisis arrives, for prayers can bring comfort and strength. Is there a place for prayer when reason is the preferred experience of life’s journey? Can we pray while walking in the woods? Or swimming in the ocean?
I say a prayer whenever I hear a siren. There are a lot of sirens in the city; a lot of prayers are needed. My prayer is for comfort and strength in the hearts of those involved in the crisis. This practice is a touchstone to remind me to stop what I’m doing and remember the “other” in life who walks with me. I bear witness to their pain.
Light a candle for someone tonight. Doing so is a spiritual practice -- a spiritual practice with potent, though perhaps unknown, effect upon you.
With love and prayer, Kate Walker
I say a prayer whenever I hear a siren. There are a lot of sirens in the city; a lot of prayers are needed. My prayer is for comfort and strength in the hearts of those involved in the crisis. This practice is a touchstone to remind me to stop what I’m doing and remember the “other” in life who walks with me. I bear witness to their pain.
Light a candle for someone tonight. Doing so is a spiritual practice -- a spiritual practice with potent, though perhaps unknown, effect upon you.
With love and prayer, Kate Walker
