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more on liturgical prayer
Here are a couple of paragraphs I've borrowed from our good friend Dave Nixon in Cincinnati. Dave has this on Vineyard Central's site, speaking of their practice of praying the "office." I thought this would be helpful..."The hyper-individualism and narcissism that have taken deep root in America have led to a current notion that the only good prayers are spontaneous, created on the spot and issuing from the unique persona of the one praying. Conversely, there's a pervasive sentiment that to recite the prayers of others is somehow less authentic, less real, and certainly less efficacious. It only takes a moment's reflection to see that both of these views are nonsense. The fact that Jesus memorized and prayed the Psalms, using them extensively in his teaching, should adequately squelch any doubts about the validity and helpfulness of praying 'second-hand' prayers." (Dave Nixon, someone who is almost famous.)
The effect of establishing fixed times in the day for centering attention on God is that your life starts to bend around these significant moments. A rhyme and pattern develop to your day, and the recital of meaningful prayers and psalms slowly fills an interior spiritual reservoir which carries you through the craziness of modern life with your head screwed on straight. You become, as the ancient poet says, "a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither."
I think those are very wise words from Father Dave. Good stuff to chew on as we try to go deeper into a life of liturgical prayer with one another. I've always used something similar to something he said there to describe, partly, how this kind of prayer helps me. I say it's good for keeping my head on straight. It provides focus points along the day. It's actually one way of stepping into that injunction to "pray without ceasing." Of course there are many forms of prayer: meditation, spontaneous, silent, spoken, praying in tongues, singing, and liturgical prayer. I don't think any of them are more "legitimate" than the others. Some are more or less useful for particular things and circumstances. We're talking about this form of prayer because it does act as a rhythm for community, for spiritual focus.
| posted by + Alan | 1:57 PM |
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