Prayer for busy people
In seminary, we once had this discussion: “Why can’t people pray?” People are always saying that they don’t have time for it. So, how are we able to inculcate in their minds the importance of relating to God, the Source? Otherwise, they will become like a well that when it dries, it dies.
To some, God is an added thing, like how spirituality is an added to their schedule. However, that is not the appropriate attitude to have. Taking time to grow in greater awareness of God is essential to the whole of our being. Between kyros and chronos, kyros means “moment of grace” and is more important than the chronos of chronological time. Kyros is time to enjoy the moment. Chronos, on the other hand, like the Greek mythological monster that eats children, consumes us as time can kill. Prayer is not to be an added schedule, it is a relationship.
The prayer that I have to offer only takes three minutes when you wake up in the morning, at lunch and in the evening before retiring. It’s a prayer for busy people. It is centered on the spirituality of awareness. The great Fathers of the Church taught that self-knowledge leads to deeper awareness of the divine presence. This divine presence is God who, in the Three Persons of the Trinity, relates to us.
First, in the morning, before getting out of bed, take three minutes to reflect on the God who is so mysterious, and yet who comes to us in relationship as a father. How does a father care for his children? How do we relate to the father? Contemplate the many blessings and things that God the Creator has provided for you, including your life. It is he who says, “I am with you until the end of time.” “I Am Who Am.” God, who is your father, cares for you. Know that you are never left to abandon, you belong to God’s family and are timelessly being loved by God.
At lunchtime, take three minutes to review what you consume. Give three minutes to Jesus who says, “I came that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Imagine, you are not only eating the eucharistic bread, but also the wisdom of Jesus! Reflect on his very mercy and forgiveness in your life. We are forgiven sinners. God, who you can’t see, is revealed in the face of Jesus. And it is in the faces of others that, with Jesus, we help others. “When I was naked, you clothed me. When I was sick, you took care of me …” What are your life-giving attitudes? How do you fulfill your responsibility to the created world? Do you throw away properly the water bottle, or just trash it? We are called to care. We are connected to this life-giving force, this food which is Jesus himself.
Before going to sleep, take three more minutes to reflect on the gifts of the Holy Spirit to you. Through awareness of your relationships with your friends, workers, and the things you have, you can see “The Spirit moves where it wills.” Take a moment then to say a prayer of thanksgiving for the day. Say “thank you” to God as you anticipate with hope tomorrow.
Rev. Manuel Hewe was ordained a priest in 1997. He is the diocesan vicar for clergy and head of the Office of Clergy for the Diocese of Honolulu. He resides in downtown Honolulu.
