Does your mind wander when you pray? Breathing a prayer to God is a simple way of using your breath to engage your mind on the Word of God. As you are breathing scripture in and out, slowly and deeply, and over and over, it can help you “abide” (or stay) in Christ. (John 15: 4). Quiet reflective prayers are a way to overcome the mind’s tendency to wander and get distracted. Here are some guidelines:

1. To begin, settle down in a quiet place and become still before God.

2. Slow down your breathing by breathing in deep breaths…holding your breath for a few seconds… and then slowly exhaling.

3. Think of it as if you are breathing in God’s Spirit with the oxygen in the air.

4. Then as you hold your breath, you hold your sense of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

5. And then breathe out your anxieties with the carbon dioxide so you can live freely in God’s loving presence. Or you can think of your exhaling as releasing control to God, submitting all your agendas to the Lord.

6. To practice a breath prayer, choose one of the scriptures below.

7. Pray a breath prayer using the scripture, pausing between inhaling and exhaling.

8. Spend about 5-10 minutes in quiet prayer.

Scripture passages for a breath prayer

(The “/” indicates the break between inhaling and exhaling.)

The Lord / is my shepherd (Psalm 23:1)

Be not / afraid (Isaiah 43:1)

Be still and know/ that I am God (Psalm 46:1)

Lo / I am with you always (Matthew 28:20)

Bless the Lord / O my soul (Psalm 103:1)

Come Lord Jesus / be my guide (1 Cor. 16: 22b)

I have called you by name / you are mine (Isaiah 43:1)

Watch for the new thing / I am going to do (Isaiah 43:19)

Seek ye first / the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33)

Create in me / a clean heart (Psalm 51: 10)

During the bombing raids of World War II, thousands of children were orphaned and left to starve. The fortunate ones were rescued and placed in refugee camps where they received food and good care. But many of these children who had lost so much could not sleep at night. They feared waking up to find themselves once again without food. Nothing seemed to reassure them. Finally, someone had the idea of giving each child a piece of bread to hold at bedtime. Holding their bread, these children could finally sleep in peace. All through the night the bread reminded them, “Today I ate and I will eat again tomorrow.”

What would you like to hold on to that would give you peace? What would you like to release that would bring you peace? Use the following guidelines to participate in an examen prayer:

1. Be silent. Take a deep breath and breathe in God’s love.

2. Think back over the past few days and ask yourself these questions:

 When did you feel loved by God or by others?

 When did you not feel loved by God or by others?

 What made you happy?

 What made you sad?

 What are you sorry about?

3. Listen to God and tell God anything you want.

4. Write a prayer to God or draw a picture of the feelings or thoughts that come to you.

Jesus summed up the call to love by saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and all your might and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Loving others is a life-long journey. Each day God calls us to a path towards loving others but sometimes things can get in the way. Our feelings, our past, our doubts, our fears and anything else can prevent us from fulfilling Jesus’ call to love.

Before we explore loving others we first need to remember that “we love because God loves us.” Right now take some time to remember that God loves you. You are God’s beloved!

Now, think of someone who is difficult to love. Imagine them on a path in the far distance. You are walking towards each other. What are you thinking? What are you feeling?

As you are walking towards them imagine anything that may be blocking your path to loving them. Is there anything that may be hindering you on your way? Is there anything you would ask God?

A practice to be open to healing

Look at the following words that represent some feelings that may be hindering or blocking your path to love: Anger, Hurt, Apathy, Bitterness, Fear, Shame, Anxiety.

Choose a word that represents something that may be hindering or blocking your path to loving them. (Or you may add your own word.)

Write your word in the middle of a piece of paper.

What do you need that would help to diminish your feeling? Ask or tell God anything you want. When you are ready, fold the paper in half as a symbol of your desire to have space for other feelings.

Again, what do you need right now? Ask or tell God anything you want. When you are ready, fold the paper in half. What does it feel like to make your feeling smaller.

If you are able, continue to fold the paper until it will fit in your pocket. As you are folding, imagine the word getting smaller and smaller in your heart.

Imagine God’s love for you getting larger and larger. Let a prayer form in you.

“Lectio Divina” means “divine reading.” This type of reading is the way we would read a love letter- slowly and carefully. The opposite of lectio divina would be the way we scan the newspaper or website for information. With lectio divina we long to be in the presence of God, to hear God’s loving care, and to respond with that same love to others.

To begin: Choose a short scripture passage.

Read: Read the passage slowly and prayerfully, allowing short pauses between sentences. (You may try reading the passage out loud.) As you read, just take in the overall flow of the passage. Allow a moment of silence following the reading.

Meditate: Read the scripture passage a second time, this time listen for a particular word or a phrase that has your attention. It may be a word that makes you wonder, unsettles you, or has your curiosity. Once you have received the word or phrase, begin to meditate on that word or phrase. Reflect on why you think God would highlight this word for you. Ask God any questions that may come to mind. Note any thoughts or ideas that come to you. Journal or draw your reflections. Listen to God. Don’t worry about other thoughts that are not related to the word or phrase. Let them come and go.

Respond: Listen now for God’s invitation to respond from your heart. The living God is always inviting us to respond in some way. It could be to let go of something. It could be to do something different or be different in some way. The invitation can take many forms. Then respond to the invitation in a prayer of thanksgiving to God.

Rest: Simply take a moment to rest in God’s love. Let the words wash over you.

Allow God’s Spirit to draw you close and fill you with his love, grace, and peace.

You may take your word or phrase with you to continue to be open to God.