Prayer

Today is my Friday. After 4 days of being back to work I find myself not as frazzled as I had at the beginning of the week. The temp here in Des Moines is mild - barely hitting the 80's and dropping into the cool 50's once the sun goes down. I had to wear my leather jacket while riding the bike this morning. 70 mph makes for a very cold ride!

I'm looking for a breviary. I started with the Internet and read up on the Catholic Divine Office. WOW! Seven (at least) times of the day, not to mention the early morning or late evening prayers - Compline and Matins. I wondered when I'd get time to practice the guitar, work, relax and take a nap! I could do it on my days off, except this Saturday I'm volunteering to man a water station at the local Shoes That Fit run. Just two days for daily prayer is not gonna work. 7 times a day is not practical. I found an Anglican breviary and when I have the moola for it, I'll purchase a copy.

Why the emphasis on prayer? How else are we to communicate with God? I've tried adopting a "lets talk buddy" attitude in the past. He didn't seem to answer. I became tired of that form and stopped. I can see now that my former attempts were set up for failure because they were ill conceived and careless. God and Jesus aren't your 'buddy', they don't hang out with you. They are Father and Son. One needs to be respectful and prayer itself is not causal. It should come from the heart, not the head.

I pray the rosary at least once a day. 53 Hail Marys, 7 Our Fathers and the 5 mysteries. Lot of Hail Mary's huh? Praying the rosary helps me to focus on Jesus life, what he went through for us and its really awe inspiring to think that as man, he suffered like he did, but as Son, he willingly accepted what God had in store for him.

That willingness to put aside his human nature is over whelming. In my human frailty, I could never do that. I'm still selfish. The biggest change in me has come about in my work life. I'm more calm. I have a smile on my face, a kindness in the tone of my voice that I never had before. My lovely wife has sensed this as well.

Until next time, May the peace of Our Lord be with you.

Ed