Thursday, May 5
by the Rev. Jennifer Schick
Last Saturday a number of us gathered to learn how to pray with and for others. It was a wonderful workshop lead by The Rev. Jo Davis, the Chaplin from Sunnybrook and St. John’s Rehab. She read for us from one of her favourite books on prayer – “Learning to Pray” by James Martin, SJ. Which I quote from here:
“Praying for yourself all the time is like talking about yourself all the time. It not only demonstrates your selfishness, but also increases it. Others need your prayers as well.
In high school, I thought that I was the only one who had problems. My body was the only one that was imperfect. My emotional life was the only one that was unsteady. My family was the only one that was (mildly) dysfunctional. Intellectually, I understood that others suffered. But in high school my friends and I didn’t share too much of our lives with one another, except for the surface worries about tests, small conflicts with friends and confusion over which colleges to apply to. But in college, as I listened to friends speak more deeply about their lives, I saw how each person struggled with many things; family problems, health problems, psychological problems. It was a marvel to me, in fact an important life lesson: just scratch the surface and the problems would be revealed. How could I have not known that?
Everyone has problems. I love the old saying, “Be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle”. Many of those you know have need of prayers.”
Everyone has problems and everyone needs prayer. This is a key truth of our faith and of our world. Prayer transforms us and when we lift up others to God in prayer it helps both us and the one we are praying for, softening both hearts for action and healing.
There is no right way to pray – and prayer does not always even need to be long. Even just a few intentional minutes a day set aside with God, can centre, guide and inspire us. Prayer is how we communicate with God and how God communicates with us – perhaps not always with words but with a sense of presence, peace, centredness or meaning.
Towards the end of the month from May 26th to June 5th – All Saints will be participating in the global ecumenical movement of prayer – known as “Thy Kingdom Come” which is a 10-day commitment to pray for others to come to know or be reacquainted with Jesus. This time period coincides with the Ascension of the Lord and the Coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
For these 10 days, we will be offering four online prayer rooms a day – at 8am, 12pm, 5pm and 9pm where you can join with others in a short communal prayer to pray for those who you know. The prayer time will be set prayers led by a leader, with space given for silent intercessions and follows the traditional monastic hours of prayer – morning, mid-day, evening and night. They are times set aside to focus on others in prayer and to also deepen our own prayer practices, praying for the Holy Spirit to touch us and those we love. With four times on offer we hope everyone can find a time that works well for them.
To compliment this – we also have prayer journals that can be picked up starting this week, to help you in your personal prayers, and daily reflections from the book of 1 Peter to help us pray with scripture during this time. This can be done personally at home.
If you are looking to kickstart your prayer life, if you know people who need prayer, if you have people on your heart that you would like to have faith in their lives, we invite you to pick up a prayer book and plan on joining us in one of the prayer rooms from May 26th to June 5th. If you would like a book and can’t make it to church to pick one up – please contact the office and we’ll ensure one gets to you.
We encourage you to set aside these ten days and come and join us in prayer for those you know.
Prayer:
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit that those we love may also come to know your saving grace, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen
