Prayer sites

I did not quite expect that my column on prayer-cise would create such a stir among readers. Due to the popularity of tools to help enrich our spiritual lives, I deem it necessary to update and repeat a feature before about prayer sites.

There are several famous links that one can visit for popular prayer sites but I have my own favorites. Top of the list is the site www.jesuit.ie/prayer or www.sacredspace.ie (I have wrongly advised people to go to sacredspace.com which is a bridal photography site).

Stop And Refresh

These may be two popular commands that we see in our computer but the Irish Jesuits who developed Sacred Space remind us that stopping and praying for a while, even in front of our computers, is a truly refreshing and rewarding experience.

A site developed by the Irish Jesuits, Sacred Space is a daily prayer online guide. It would be wise for those who look for daily inspiration to make this site a starting page or to at least bookmark it as a favorite for easier access.

The Irish Jesuits beckon : "We invite you to make a ‘Sacred Space’ in your day, and spend 10 minutes, praying here and now, as you sit at your computer, with the help of on-screen guidance and scripture chosen especially every day.

"It might seem strange to pray at your computer, in front of a screen, especially if there are other people around you, or distracting noises. But God is everywhere, all around us, constantly reaching out to us, even in the most unlikely situations. When we know this, and with a bit of practice, we can pray anywhere!"

What you go through is similar to a PowerPoint presentation. Colors are muted and do not take the concentration away from the prayer. The online-prayer session of 10 minutes is divided into six stages, including preparing your body and mind, and culminating in reflection on a scripture passage chosen especially for the day. The stages are: The Presence of God, Freedom, Consciousness, The Word, Conversation and Conclusion. There are different prayers for each calendar day.

Do not just read out the prayers. Instead, follow the instructions for meditation to reach out to God. This is such a simple way of encouraging a mindfulness or consciousness about God’s presence in our daily lives. There is also a "Prayer Guide" for explanation, guidance and other helps to prayer from modern Jesuit writers.

If you are searching for an online-prayer guide, this is a must-see and must-try site with over 2.5 million visitors already.

A Virtual Retreat

Another site, developed and maintained by the Passionists based in New Jersey, offers different prayer modules, including a very popular virtual retreat portion at www.cptryon.org/vr.

The virtual editor, Fr. Victor Hoagland, C.P., has a foreword for each module to inspire busy people to move on and experience prayer while online. He probes, "Do you pray? Do you pray often, or only occasionally? Is prayer important to you? I ask you these questions because prayer and praying are essential for your life of faith. Like breath to the human body, prayer makes the spirit live. Without it, faith dies. On the other hand, a person who prays grows in spirit and life." To inspire the uninitiated to a life of prayer, he continues, "Yes, all are called to pray. All receive the gift. And, surprisingly, sometimes those thought to be "ungifted" pray best and are graciously heard. That’s the lesson Jesus taught in His parable about the Pharisee and the Publican who together went up to the temple to pray. The Publican, an outsider who thought himself unworthy of approaching God in prayer, was found more pleasing by God than the Pharisee, a professionally religious person, who prayed so effortlessly."

"And God does give this beautiful gift. In prayer, God comes and helps; God invites us into the divine presence where we can open our lips and our hearts. There God welcomes our slightest word or cry, our smallest effort. Delighting to give us the gift of prayer, God wishes that we come near to share our hearts and minds, our very life with One who loves us. Prayer is God’s precious gift; cherish it always," he continues.

Then you are drawn in as you click the mouse and go through a virtual retreat right in front of your computer. If you think about it, unless you are doing it in an Internet café with very loud music, being alone in your room in front of the computer offers the serenity and peace of solitude in a retreat house. A simple guide affords you a retreat to your innermost being where you are naturally in unity with God.

Psalms For Every Need

The Diocese of San Jose has its own prayer site at www.dsj.org/prayer There are various types of prayers there like scriptural prayers, seasonal prayers and others but what caught my attention was the Psalms. The site has a section where they lead the visitor to various Psalms depending on one’s needs: Psalm 4 when tired or upset, 42 when discouraged, 40 when alone or disillusioned by a friend, Psalm 97 and 99 when filled with great happiness, Psalm 135 when grateful for the gifts of God, Psalm 46 when in need of refuge, 27 for a spiritual boost, 34 when worried, 31 and 34 when anguished. They suggest you turn to Psalms 27, 31, 56 and 62 when in need of confidence and courage. Those in need of health are directed to Psalms 6, 27, 39, and 41.

Explaining why they built the site, the Diocese of San Jose refers to the role of the church as a teacher of the faithful in many areas, the most crucial of which is that of prayer. In an introduction to praying with Psalms, the diocese quotes, "While Jesus cautions us not to use many words, the ones He gives us are powerful. We all know the comfort that prayers offer us during those times when we cannot find the right words to express what is in our hearts."

"Among the wonderful prayers in the Bible, the Book of Psalms – which is found in the Old Testament – stands out. There are 150 psalms, magnificent prayers and hymns for every religious desire and need, mood and feeling. In poetic form, the Psalms express religious experience that is valid for all ages and places," they further claim.

A Child’s Prayer

As parents, we know that it is our responsibility to initiate our children into a life of faith, of which prayer is a very important aspect. However, aside from the usual morning and night prayers, saying grace, and the rosary, we sometimes lack tools to encourage our kids to pray.

Sometimes though all we need to do is look. At Powerbooks, for example, I bought a book Little Girls’ Devotional Storybook, which is a wonderful, fully illustrated book about common daily experiences of girls. It intelligently and creatively incorporates lessons about what is right and wrong, values and virtues, in a way that children appreciate and understand. Every story likewise ends with questions moms can ask to deliver the message and also helpful prayer and Bible guides.

Goodwill Bookstore and National Book Store also have a lot of children’s bibles and prayer books. Time Life has a whole package of Bible stories complete with activities children like such as coloring books and a test module with a nifty pointer that says whether your chosen answer is right or wrong.

Again in the Passionists’ site, a great prayer for children section is available. The site was developed for parents of children, aged three to six or even a bit older, as a guide for prayers that encourage a healthy relationship with God. The prayers go beyond the traditional such as this prayer before going to school:

Dear Lord Jesus take my hand,

I’m going to a foreign land.

One not ruled by king or preacher,

but someone with the name of teacher.

My mommy says that I’ll have fun;

I’ll sing and skip and play and run.

But I am scared ‘cause I don’t know

just what to do or where to go.

So please Lord Jesus hug me tight

and keep me in your loving sight.

For with you by my side today,

I know that I will be okay.

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E-mail questions and comments to mylene@goldsgymmanila.com.