Over the last year, we have by necessity rediscovered prayer at home. Cut off from gathering in parishes, some have turned to worshipping online. Others have begun to pray the Daily Office around their dinner table or over Zoom. Maybe you have made a prayer space, an area set aside for sacred encounter. This week, we invite you to explore new ways to hallow your home, embracing the hopeful possibilities of the domestic church.
Try This
Churches are sacred places, explicitly set aside for prayer, but a life of prayer is not confined to a church building on Sunday morning. Our homes are just as holy. If you don’t already have a prayer corner, try creating a space just for prayer inside your home. Simple items like an icon, candle, or flower can reveal your intention for this area and remind you to spend time here with God. Set a plan to meet God at the same time each day. This week, lavish some love on your at-home sanctuary.
Many of us have been experiencing the loss of our faith communities in these trying times. Fill that gap this week by bringing others into your life of prayer. Invite a friend or family member to connect with you over Zoom. Engage in a time of prayer – formal or informal – with those in your household: a mealtime prayer, a gratitude sharing circle, or a moment of intercessory prayer for those you carry in your hearts. Get creative about how you might gather together with others in Jesus’ name.
For Reflection
Br. Jack talks about having felt “more like a monk” these last months than any time before. Have any of the changes and challenges of the pandemic made you feel “more like” yourself?
How has this time shifted your own practice of prayer? What have you lost; what have you gained? Consider this time as an invitation from God: Where is God in this for you?
Join Us
Compline | We invite you to join us for monastic “bedtime prayers,” streamed Tuesday, Thursday, Friday at 8:30pm. It’s a wonderful way to say “Goodnight” to God. Catch the live-stream at SSJE.org/chapel or on Facebook.
Facebook live | Join Br. Jim Woodrum in conversation with a special guest each week during Lent. This week they’ll be discussing “Praying at Home.” Thursday, 7:15pm on the Friends of SSJE Facebook page.