-Last Sunday's homily is available
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org/readings
-check out this weeks LinC letter at www.parishLinCLetter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend at 9:30am on Sunday
What's the difference between personal prayer and private prayer?
Are we ever "in private"? I know we hear a lot of talking in our society about a "right to privacy" but in our Catholic spirituality there is no understanding of private. Having been joined to the body of Christ, incorporated. through baptism we are "never alone".
In fact, it has often been said that the hymn Amazing Grace is not really a good Catholic hymn. It is a song sung in the first person, I, it's all about "me" and what God has done for me. Catholic hymns are sung as a "we". We are never a catholic alone. That's communion theology, right.
We are celebrating our adoration chapel's 10th anniversary of dedication this weekend and the call of Jesus to "come apart by yourselves" may cause us to be rededicated to personal prayer before the Blessed Sacrament as participants in the prayer of Christ, as his body in which we exist.
2 comments:
Prayers "alone" & in private unite me with the entire body of Christ as I feel a much deeper compassion & understanding. Apartness leads to engagement. It is one of the many "contradictions" of faith. Praying by myself emboldens, empowers & enables me to be an expression of God's love to others and I long to pray and act in communion with others. It assist me in viewing the world and others. Standing up with the entire church at the Eucharist creates a feeling of great unity and power. I see as through the eyes of God that he loves each person as much as He loves me. It is so essential to me to understand that I am no more than any other and created to be a unique part of the body of Christ. There is no feeling of superiority or exclusivity but a real humbleness. Adoration and inner prayers lead me to seek engagement and expression of Christ's love. Not sure about the Amazing Grace comment because I know that He died for me as well as every person not matter how evil I think they may be but understand the principle of a personalized hymn rather than community. Many people have journeyed home to the Catholic church and true line of Christ from the periphery. I do personalize by speaking with God in the first person even though He speaks to everyone at the same time.
This is certainly a time when Christians must not be be hidden, silent or secret. The Body of Christ is being tested daily. The Church is being marginalized and made irrelevant or even illegal which calls for a greater unity of believers and one needs to be involved in communion to be strengthened for witness. In past times we worshiped in private and were loners on our beliefs and it created a casual, silent and maybe weak church in the world which allowed much moral decay but it certainly feels as if we are called to to be proclaiming unashamedly the Good News but of words and works.
I like this distinction between personal prayer and private prayer. I need personal prayer time to help me refuel - just as the example from Jesus shows us - but I recognize that I am never alone even at those times. Others are always with me and in me as I pray because we are all so connected in the Body of Christ. For instance, when I am in the adoration chapel, I can't help but notice the good souls that are already there as I enter, and those that are there when I leave. My first and last prayer is typically praying on their behalf - because I know that, like all people,they carry needs and intercessions in their own hearts - so I pray that their prayers be heard and that they be blessed. I believe in the power of prayer - and that belief holds true for prayer that is said with sincere devotion by those two or more who are gathered in His name. I believe that, just as a parent finds great joy when their children unite and cooperate, so our loving God finds great delight and is moved by us who join our voices for praise, worship, and intercessory prayer.
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