"Prayer Just Happens, And Sometimes You Are There."

This addition to yesterday's post on prayer comes from one of my favorite writers and theologians, Fr. Richard Rohr. (He's a pretty awesome Fransican priest as well.) His work is vast and worth your time for sure. His book, Yes, And is a collection of his work that has been gathered and adapted into an amazing book of daily mediations. Today, under the same title as this post, Rohr writes,

Mary's understanding and full acceptance of her nothingness, is also saying somethign about all of us. Our worthiness is also and always given. It is not attained. It is God in your searching for God. It is God in you that believes and hopes and cares and loves. And there is nothing that you can take credit for. It is something you just thank God for!

The same is true of prayer and all spiritual initiatives. Eventually you realize that you don't just say a prayer by yourself. Rather, you recognize that prayer is happening, and you just happen to be the channel and instrument. When your mind, your heart, and your body are all present, which is always a gift, that full presence is prayer. At that moment God is able to use you because you are out of the way, and God is leading the way.

Yesterday, I suggest to practice prayer instead of panic. I think Rohr might add something to affect that prayer allows us to just be in the panic, to name it and welcome it because when you do, you are welcoming God into the conversation.

Prayer is that channel to God simply because, as Rohr stated "Prayer is happening" because God is already in you "searching for God."  That's a very comforting thought, epecially in these new and uncertain times we find ourselves in.

So if I can make this suggestion, allow the words and everything else you are experiencing right now to be present, be open and available for God to flow through you, in you, and all around you.  

And as God moves remember that if the only words you can muster to say are "hello" or "thank you" or "what's up?" that will suffice.