So
I am going to propose a solution; do both together – exercise while you pray,
pray while you exercise! During my morning hour-long exercise (which is either
walking our woods, cycling, snowshoeing or skiing) I pray. It isn’t as
difficult as it sounds. And I am sure that God accepts this type of prayer as
much as God accepts other prayers. Remember the formula: ACTS as a method of
prayer? – adoration (praise to
God), contrition
(self-examination and asking for forgiveness), thanksgiving (for all our blessings), and supplication (asking help from God). During exercise, we can also listen; to be quiet, hear what God is
saying to us (this is the part of prayer that we often forget… to be quiet).
This is an important ingredient in both contemplative and centering prayer. You
can find out more about this kind of prayer at: http://www.contemplativemind.org.
What
I am really talking about is “prayer-walking.” And prayer-walking has a long
history within all our enduring world religions. For example, I found a great
little book online about this kind of prayer at: http://www.newchurches.com/mediafiles/PrayerWalkManual.pdf.
And within the Christian Orthodox tradition, “hesychasm” is a form of praying done
while walking and constantly repeating the “Jesus Prayer” (“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”). (You can find out more about this practice at http://www.hesychasm.ru/en/library.htm).
And within Buddhism, many monks, like Thich Nhat Hanh, advocate mindfully walking
for one’s spiritual health.
I
have also found that an iPod is a good way to keep up on contemporary spiritual
music from praise to Gregorian chant. Plug in and listen to the wonderful
spiritual music that can be downloaded from the iTunes website (and besides,
our monthly praise Eucharist will be a lot more familiar to you!).
So
this month I am advocating that you consider beginning a program that combines
exercise and prayer. I have mentioned
before that to either eliminate or ingrain a habit takes about six weeks. So
why not begin this fall? Start out with a 30 minute walk and pray the “ACTS” format
and then spend the rest of the time being quiet and listening for God. Set a
time every day and get out and get praying. The result is a heart that will be
healthier both physically and spiritually!
I have been aware of your most helpful site for some time, and have visited a number of times. I'm always surprised that there are so few comments. Every post is valuable and positive, but until today I had not read your very moving account of the death of your son. Sharing the long process of loss and grief, that you and your loved ones have had to live through, and no doubt are still living through, is a great blessing to us, and a moving confirmation of Faith and the Love that is ours in Christ. I thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteI have shared earlier posts with the men's group that I was very fortunate to find, and have learned how important a deep Faith led relationship with other men can be ... and how badly it is needed. Your voice is particularly strong in Madison, where those of us who lived through the '90s remember how important and positive your leadership and values were during those difficult times. We are now experiencing a new era of great division, struggle and confrontation, and your example and thoughts remain very precious.
Thank you for sharing and offering so much.