Lord, Jesus Christ, teach me to pray.
Prepare yourself for the reading of the scripture by quieting your heart and reminding yourself that God is present here with you.
A Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans [8:26-27]
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
I feel a great sense of relief when I read this passage. Very often I have been in the situation of not knowing how to pray over a given situation, not knowing what to say or to ask for, or feeling completely unable to pray. It is in those times, when I am engulfed in anxiety, worry, confusion, grief, or plain old lassitude, that the Spirit is present there with me, knowing my heart, knowing what it is that I most deeply need and then conveying that message to a loving God with “sighs too deep for words”. Oh, what a beautiful phrase. We should never think that we can’t come to God because we don’t know how to pray or what to say. We just place ourselves in God’s presence and let the Spirit pray in us and for us. This is a prayer of communion.
There is a wonderful website called gratefulness.org which is based on the teachings of Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk. One of the offerings at the site is a place to light a candle for someone or something that is on your heart. Lighting a candle can symbolize our praying without words. Letting God take the situation as we watch the candle flame burn without any help from us at all. The candle lights our way to God and illuminates our prayer.
If you are in a space in which you can light a real candle and spend a few minutes with God, I invite you to do that now. Otherwise, please consider going to the website by clicking here. It will guide you through the process of lighting the candle. At the very end, if you click “return to candles” it will take you back to the page where your candle is burning. If you click on your candle some options open up at the bottom including “email this candle” and “open mini candle”. If you open the mini candle, a small window will open up that will stay on your desktop as long as your browser is open. The candle will burn for 24 hours.
Prayer of Light
Begin your prayer time by placing yourself in God’s presence. Before you light your candle, you may wish to set an intention for the time or for this day. You may also want to light a candle for a specific person or situation. As you spend time with the candle, allow the flame to represent the Spirit’s presence in the world and within you. Be aware of the energy within the flame and the energy of the Spirit within you. Allow the flame to draw you more deeply into the presence of God. If you can, leave your candle burning after your prayer time. Each time you see it burning there, remember to turn your heart back to God in prayer.
For your journal: Does lighting a candle have any special meaning to you? Is your experience of God any different if you light a candle during your prayer time? Are there symbols or tools besides a candle that you prefer to use during your prayer time?
Loving God, You are the light of the world. Shine through me. Amen
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