Artist: Georges SeuratI have just finished reading the transcript of an interview with Sr. Joan Chittister whom I've admired for many years now.
Here is just a little bit of what she says:
After more than 55 years of growing into a life of prayer through a lifestyle based on it, my definition of prayer is consciousness, immersion, and relationship. Prayer makes us aware of the elements of the divine in human life, bringing us into contact with the God-life in and around us. Prayer is not personal devotion; it is personal growth. Prayer brings us to the ultimate and the eternal, the daily and the regular, the total consciousness of God now. Prayer enables us to be immersed in what is fundamentally and truly divine in life right now. It is not meant to be a bridge to somewhere else because God is not somewhere else. God is here. Prayer is the act of beginning the process of becoming one with the One we seek -- eventually, melting into God completely.I urge you to click through and read the whole piece. It gets better and better as well as more and more moving. She talks about her family, about her parents' "mixed marriage" (Roman Catholic and Presbyterian), about her passion for social justice and how that is utterly connected with her prayer.
It is beautiful.
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Thank you, thank you, Ellie. It's so nice to have the link to the article, too.
ReplyDeleteYes, Jan. I'm not surprised that you really found this valuable the way I did.
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