Morning Prayer

This year I became a part of the Two Year Academy for Spiritual Formation sponsored by Upper Room Ministries. There are just over 40 of us who arrive from all over the country four times a year to the Oblate Renewal Center in San Antonio for a week of prayer, study, reflection, silence, singing and community.

Each day at the Academy is framed by a rhythm of prayer: morning prayer at 7:00 a.m. (before breakfast, but on the first day I found my coffee before morning prayer - very important!), eucharistic prayer before dinner, and night prayer which leads us into The Great Silence until morning prayer. Within that framework we hear lectures from our faculty, reflect in silence, meet with our covenant group, eat our meals, and in short, do all the other work of the Academy.

The rhythm of the daily prayer has been calling to me - for a long time, really. I'm sure this is a big part of why I was drawn to attend the Academy. But I've always had trouble with the daily-ness of pretty much anything. Somewhere along the line the part of the brain that sustains routine did not develop in me fully. So I've been doing an experiment in morning prayer with the encouragement from my friends in my covenant group. My experiment is this: just do it! Get up every morning, and before I do anything else, I have my prayer time. I'm using a kind of daily office routine so that I'm not making it up as I go.

Now that I've been at this without missing a morning for almost a month now, I'm finding it to be like breathing. And the words from the liturgy and the songs are reverberating in my head and heart during the day:

"As morning breaks, I look to you; I look to you, Oh, Lord to be my strength this day."

"In the morning I will sing glad songs of praise to you."

"This very day our God has acted, let us rejoice!"

"Merciful God, hear our prayer."

Saying the Lord's Prayer this morning I did what I often do - I reached my hands out to the left and to the right as if I were holding hands with people next to me, together praying this prayer. Revelation: I am standing next to people holding hands and together praying this prayer.

When I sit on the bed in our extra bedroom by myself with the door closed and pray in the morning, I am not not alone. I am praying with all those who are praying this morning. I am praying with all those who have ever prayed morning prayers. I am connected around the globe and back through time with women and men who are part of the rhythm of prayer. I am connected to those who cannot pray, who haven't yet found their voice, or who, like me, have struggled to get into the rhythm.

As I say the Lord's Prayer reaching out my hands to hold the hands of the people next to me, I am praying with the world. I am praying with you.

Blessings and peace!
Jan