The Prayer Thread is a collection of teachings and practical prompts to help as we learn to pray in community. This text was originally delivered on July 13, 2022 as a short teaching at our online weekly prayer sit.
There are times when the fullness of life overflows so much that we humans rely on special rites and rituals in order to fully savor the richness of life as it unfolds in these most holy moments.
Just this week, I was witness to one such moment when two young women made their final profession at the local Benedictine monastery. Amid the precision and intention of the special rites, there was a moment when the spirit of Life simply burst through the sacred container, and applause and joy and aliveness spread through the chapel like wildfire.
While this was one particular instance of overflow, the sacramental traditions teach that such eruptions are due in other special times as well, such as ordinations, weddings, baptisms, end of life, the maturing into adult life, and even daily or weekly eucharist. This last marker is perhaps the boldest: would that each eucharistic celebration would erupt into clapping and jubilation from the sheer joy of the goodness and beauty of ordinary life! And in that same abundant Spirit, would that each child and adult who kneels or sits in daily prayer at a special time in the day also erupt into joy and delight!
Indeed, we depend on prayer at “special times” because we so easily forget the rich depth and wide intensity of life as it is ordinarily lived. May we all be blessed with an abundance of prayer at special times!
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