When it comes to prayer---fast, loud and more is not better. We can be tempted to think we don’t have time for our prayers so out of duty get through them as quickly as possible. Surely if we want God to hear us we need to multiply our words and try to impress, right? Wrong.
I used to tell second graders to pray “with heart not just by heart”. They thought the latter meant saying rote prayers real loud. Some who come to the Monastery and join in our prayer have the same misconception. It is natural, I suppose, to want to read the psalmody of the Liturgy of the Hours like we might read the newspaper–quickly and without heart. Prayer in a Monastery is different; it is relaxed, deliberate and slow enough to let the meaning of the words touch our hearts so we can know and mean what we say. We don’t rush; we pause between lines and after the reading.
I’ve found a way to explain how we pray to our guests. “Pray the psalms like a love letter.” Even 6th grade girls visiting understood what that meant and prayed with us like they had done it for years.
If you want your prayer to be a pause that refreshes you, try praying the psalms like a love letter from God. Better yet visit the Benedictine Sisters at Holy Name Monastery and join us for prayer. Experience it for yourself. In the relaxed rhythm of word and quiet, come listen to the Scriptures like a love letter from God, which indeed they are.
For further information: Benedictine Sisters of Florida
Holy Name Monastery
P.O. Box 2450
St. Leo, FL 33574
Phone: (352) 588-8320
Website: http://www.floridabenedictines.com/
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