Lay ecclesial candidates hear God's word in prayer

Intermountain Catholic

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Margaret Lordon (left) leads the Lay Ecclesial Ministry candidates Mary Gesicki, Margaret Horvath, Dorothy Simpson, and Robert Cowlishaw, and the entire group in prayer to conclude day. Earlier in the day the candidates let God speak to them through the words of the songs ?Here I Am, Lord,? which goes with Gen. 22:1-18, and ?The Summons,? a song for the transfiguration.IC photo by Christine Young

SALT LAKE CITY — Sometimes we say we cannot pray, or we do not know how to pray. Sometimes we feel we cannot find the right words to say, or it does not feel right. But the essence of prayer is not these things.

The theme for the Lay Ecclesial Ministry candidates Lenten Day of Prayer was "Gleaning God’s Word from the Scriptures."

The prayer day was held in the Benvegnu Center at St. Vincent de Paul Parish March 7. The presenter was Margaret Lordon from the Diocese of Tucson. Lordon is a scripture instructor, who works with the Communion Formation Program for deacons and lay ministry candidates. She said she has spent most of her life working with lay ministers in formation and spirituality.

"I taught catechism as a teenager," said Lordon. "Then I was a religious education coordinator in parishes and a director on the diocesan level. I worked with children, youth, and adults. I really enjoy working with adults."

Lordon set the tone for the day by reading from the "Essence of Prayer," by Discalced Carmelite Sister Ruth Burrows.

"Prayer, we take the word for granted, but ought we to do so? What do we mean by prayer? Our Christian knowledge assures us that prayer is essentially what God does, how God addresses us, and looks at us. It is not primarily something we are doing to God, something we are giving God, but what God is doing for us. And what God is doing for us is giving us the divine Self in love."

"We often have a hard time praying, but actually, we can sit and let God look at us," said Lordon. "It is not something we are doing to God, or giving God, but what God is giving us. We think we have to make a success of prayer, or have an experience, but we don’t. It is nice if it happens, but prayer is not those things."

Lordon said keeping our deepest heart exposed, refusing to usurp God’s place by making ourselves the agent, we will most often have no sense of having prayed well or prayed at all. That is often the reason we do not pray.

"We live in a society where we work, and are constantly called to give our time and attention to family members and to others, and we do not have time to pray," said Lordon.

Lordon said taking time to repeat a mantra as in Lectio Divina is an excellent way to pray. It helps us focus on receiving God’s love and God’s Word. The same is true for focusing on a scripture text. Most of us need some sort of support, but we must learn to distinguish between making use of a support and substituting the support for prayer.

Sr. Burrows wrote, "Learning true prayer means learning to die in the sense of dying to Christ, to egotism, self-determination and self-achieving, and letting God recreate us in love in a way that only God can do. If we keep clearly before us the essence of prayer, if we truly want God, if we remain faithful to prayer and take the necessary trouble, there is nothing to worry about, no matter how unsatisfactory our psychological experience of prayer. No guide is needed, for no one can teach us to pray. All we need to do is keep our eyes on Jesus."

Lordon and the lay ecclesial candidates spent the day studying the scripture readings for the Second Sunday of Lent in Lectio Divina. They studied various Hebrew and Jewish photographs of the scriptures, read the scriptures carefully, and read them again. They listened to the scripture reading of Genesis 22:1-18, where God tested Abraham and Mark 9:2-10, the transfiguration. They reflected on the scriptures and came up with a word or short phrase. They responded to the scripture by coming up with a thought. Finally, they rested in the scripture by coming up with a prayer and spending about 30 minutes of quiet time.

Lordon said it is important to read the scripture readings for Sunday or for daily Mass before Mass to let the Holy Spirit speak to you. It is easy to become distracted during Mass, and we may miss God talking to us. We must be willing to relinquish our own dreams for our future, and go where God leads us. God will not be out done in his generosity.

Sharing in the Lectio Divina experience, the group determined they are all individual but on the same journey. Sharing their answers was unifying although each had their own individual prayer. God shares his spirit with us. They determined praying aloud makes you vulnerable, but at the same time, others are vulnerable as well, and it is affirming.

Lordon said as leaders or care givers we have to pray out loud with the sick or dying. Sometimes we feel anguish when we pray, and feel God is far away. But to be able to come up with a prayer after a scripture reading and a silent meditation is amazing. The words you come up with are different than you may have anticipated. A deeper reading brings up deeper thoughts. Meditating on religious songs can bring about the same results.