In the blog, “A Monastic Garden,” I wrote about how it is hard to relax in my own backyard garden — because I see what needs to be done rather than peace the garden was intended to create.
For me, the best solution is to avoid places (for the Divine Office) that are most often places of work (like our garden) and to have a place in the house that is dedicated primarily as a place of prayer — in my case it’s a comfortable brown chair and footstool in a corner of my home office. Some oblates have a separate prayer or reading room.
For me, lighting a candle helps move me from being in work to being present in prayer. If you have a practice that helps you move into a time of prayer or that helps your prayer time — please add it as a comment -- Thank you. If it includes eating ice cream, I just might try it! :)
Thursday, May 15, 2008
A Monastic Garden for Benedictine Oblate -- Part 2
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I try and have Gregorian chant on, to help focus on prayer and not be caught up on what's going on around me. Granted, this will change a lot once our baby arrives; but for now it works. :)
ReplyDeleteKim, thank you adding the use of Gregorian chant and I know everyone's prayers are with you and your baby.
ReplyDeleteI have a holy water font at the entrance of my prayer room that I bless myself with as I enter. I also light a candle, and bow to a picture of Christ that I have hanging above the little altar. I stand facing the picture and the altar when praying the Invitatory Psalm each morning at the beginning of the Divine Office. I've found that these things help me to set the tone for my prayer.
ReplyDeleteBarb,
ReplyDeleteYour suggestions along with Gregorian chant gives me a good pattern to follow. We just recently designated one of our rooms mostly as a prayer room — not exclusively — but nearly so. We have the candle so we have a few more items to add. I know your prayer room is a holy place.
Thank you.