Prayer is some of the most important work we do. So is breathing. Breathing helps keep our physical bodies alive. Prayer helps keep our spiritual souls alive. Both types of breathing involve a rhythm of inhaling and exhaling. If you're reading this I assume you are actively engaged in physical breathing and are somewhat familiar with it, so I'd like to focus on the idea of inhaling and exhaling in a spiritual sense through prayer.
When you look at our structured prayer time, such as the Daily Office, you'll see how part of it is inhalation, and part of it is exhalation. Inhalation, of course, comes first. We have to have something in our lungs before we can breathe it out. Physical inhalation takes in air - spiritual inhalation takes in the Presence of God.
The first half of our prayer time is receiving God's Presence through the Psalms, Lessons, Hymns, Canticles and Homily. It can also be done by experiencing the Presence of God in nature - taking a walk, rowing a boat, flying a kite, playing a game with a child. The inhalation of God's love and compassion is practiced in prayer, but can be experienced throughout the day. Inhalation is the contemplative side of our spiritual breathing. When we inhale, we take in the love and compassion of God for His creation. It is the stuff of which we are all made.
Our souls are fueled by this spiritual air, and once our lungs are filled with it, we must exhale. We were not meant to keep the air in our lungs; we were meant to circulate it. So, what is spiritual "exhalation"? We find this in the second half of the Daily Office under the title of 'The Prayers'. The cornerstone is the Lord's Prayer, recognizing our unity with God in purpose and essence. We also find daily Collects, prayers of Thanksgiving, and our intercessions and petitions for others.
Spiritual exhalation becomes the active side of our spiritual breathing. Being transformed by the fresh air taken in, we now put it to use. We have been given the power to change some things through prayer, so we need to use this opportunity through our intercessions and petitions. Of course, we are changed personally by prayer as well, and this prepares us better to respond during the course of the day to people and situations we encounter. We learn to use present moment resources to respond to present moment situations, and we do so keeping in mind the love and compassion taught to us by Christ and reinforced constantly by the Holy Spirit.
Breathe in - breathe out. This is our prayer life. This is why we pray. This rhythm of nature is a pattern of wisdom in both physical and spiritual realms. Make sure that both are a part of your life.
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