Hi. I am learning about a contemplative practice called “The Prayer of the Heart” which is so lovely and engaging. It is like watching an intimate discussion between two friends. Shared knowledge, respect, loving words, and heartfelt intentions for a better world and better humanity are at the core of this custom.
This tradition reminds us to integrate our bodies, minds and spirits when we pray. We need to acknowledge our modern-day dilemmas, and traumas as well as our hidden hopes and dreams. I am learning that our "hopes and dreams with life’s struggles and hardships" are like a helix, continuously interwoven and interconnected, twirling, spiraling… These delicate ribbons embody our innocence, pureness, and sacred energy. One strand may represent our ability to be strong and resilient, the other strand may represent our need to have faith and trust.
Do we choose to propel ourselves through this world on our own or do we share this journey with something greater than ourselves? Perhaps the center of the helix symbolizes the heart of understanding ourselves.
Consider this:
- If God is our center and provides peace and joy: we are encouraged to spiral happily in the moments of lightness.
- If God is our center and gives us eternal forgiveness and grace: we can seek comfort when we are entangled in the spirals of darkness.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13
Peace.
JJH