It’s Just A Thought

“Prayer…For The Good Of All Concerned,
You Have Got To Be Kidding!”

August 14, 2008
Rev. Regina Maria Cross

When you hear the word prayer what does it conjure up for you? Is there an immediate feeling of unworthiness or does your heart sing with the thought of devotions? Do your eyes squint and your body pull back or do you stand in the essence of peace and the very breath of life itself? Do you ask, “Do I have to” or do you hear yourself saying, “Yes”?

Prayer is that thoughtful place in heart, mind and soul of intentional request in relationship with your Higher Being, The Universal Life Force Energy, God or deity of choice. It is living in the moment of believing or knowing your discussion; your petition is being accepted by One of greater compassion than oneself. It is the letting go with no expectation of how it should be answered just that it will be. It is in the answering that our human being is acknowledged as soul. This is the essence of prayer, the acknowledgement, the validation that we are more than what is in the moment. We do have a relationship with the greater good, the “All things and No things” as is spoken of in Kabbalah.

Rev. Carol Parrish defines Prayer in her book, The New Dictionary Of Spiritual Thought as “Coming from the same root word as Prana (breath), prayer reminds us to breathe the Source in to ourselves, thereby accessing the energy field of God, in whom we live and move and have our being.” The last of her sentence is itself from a soulfully moving prayer we say often in Chapel at Sancta Sophia Seminary.

What is beautiful about prayer is that it holds no limitation as to the how of it. There are ancient prayers that when spoken today take you to a sacred place within bringing together yesterday and this moment, prayers such as the Nicene Creed (remembering that catholic is defined as Universal as there was no Catholic Church at the time of it’s inception). There is monologistic prayer of one word, thought or symbol used in the calling such as the OM, the sound of God, in Hinduism. Prayerful voices raise the vibration of spiritual energy in Gregorian and Benedictine Chant. Tibetan Prayer Wheels concentrate the prayerfully mindful as their intention is activated through the motion of spinning. The Sufi Dance is prayer in motion as is the energy medicine of Reiki. The Native American Prayer Ties hang as a continuing reminder of specific invocation as the Buddhist Prayer Flags blow one’s supplications to the heavens. The quiet and often soft-spoken prayers of children, be it of age or humility, if I were God, would be the most powerfully conscious of all as they hold within them the nature of truth.

Speaking of being God, if you haven’t seen it, rent the movie, “Bruce Almighty”. There is the reflective moment in which Bruce realizes what it is he is hearing are the prayers, all the prayers, of all peoples in the world. His response, “reply to all” is a powerful statement of our letting go of our expectations in the answer to our pleas as well as an understatement of what it would be like if first, you, as human, actually had to reply to all and second, if everyone got what it is they asked for as they thought it should be versus for the good of all concerned.

“For the good of all concerned”, at the same time an enlightened and most frighteningway of ending one’s prayer. Talk about letting go! Yet if we “live as if” we are enlightened would we want the answer to hold for us any other guidance? Try it. Finish each prayer with the statement, “For the good of all concerned”. Feel the experience of what it brings up for you. There have been times in my life that prior to speaking the words I thought to myself, “You have got to be kidding. You do know this probably means it is not going to look like what you think you want it too”. Many times that was true and yet deep within my soul I knew the answer was most perfect even if it were not the one I wanted in my personality. Many times the answer bought me to a higher understanding that even though I thought I had searched every answer that could be I never came close to it’s perfection.

I grew up with what I perceived to be a rather twisted approach to prayer. It seemed needy and border line gimme, gimme, gimme in its pleas for wants and desires. It did gimme the turn off to prayer. Prayer to me was this sticky, ungrateful, irresponsible gooey place that I never wanted to visit. Instead I just talked with God, Jesus, Mother Mary or my Guardian Angel like I would talk with any friend. That worked for me and often still does.

I mentioned responsibility. Thought I’d breeze by that one, did ya’? Truly as a child that is one of the bugs that really did bug me about prayer. Through my ears I’d hear, “Let me lay this one on ya’ and I’m going to the movies. By the time I get out I expect You, the Great Almighty, to have this all wrapped up for me.” If we take no responsibility do we truly want, deserve or need the answer we are looking for? Half of the prayer is what we do with what we are asking for. There is responsibility in the request and it is ours.

Through my spiritual studies both personal and vocational, I have come to appreciate both the moment of purposeful communication through prayer as well as the peaceful acknowledgement of relationship with God or deity of choice as I center myself in heart and mind breathing in the essence of this Holy union. I love now the purposeful choice of language as I speak my intention invoking God, Sophia, Jesus, Buddha, Mother Mary, Khan Yin, my Guardian Angel, other Masters and Teachers for assistance. I want to speak truth and poetry at the same time. I am not perfect at it by any means yet the path of getting there is in and of itself pure pleasure.

Prayer need not be so serious all the time. Sometimes the Greater Good would appreciate a laugh or two. Whenever Kenny, my husband, says the evening prayer I know God is going to get a good laugh. We renewed our vows the first time on our tenth wedding anniversary. Following the church ceremony we took our dear witnesses who had stood beside us tens years earlier out to dinner. Kenny insisted he say the prayer. I thought how very blessed I am to be with this romantic man. Everyone in the restaurant knew of our celebration and in that moment wanted to become a part in sharing. There was a hush in the room. Women were soft eyed and men were taking notes. Ken looked so handsome and sincere as he began; “I thank you for my life (the room sighed). I thank you for my wife (there was a group swoon). I thank you for the food (questionable looks) ‘cause I’m really in the mood.” There was a big exhale in roaring laughter.

Now, I use it when I officiate weddings and am asked to pray us into the sharing of our newly weds first meal together along with their families and friends. I begin, sweet and soft telling a romantic short story of our renewal of vows referring to my dear husbands prayer. I then turn to the groom handing him a beautiful envelope with the prayer inside saying, “Now, with permission from my husband you continue the tradition.” He stands dressed in his most handsome attire and begins. He opens the envelope. The attendees lean forward. The new husband unfolds the lacy paper and begins; “I thank you for…” by the time he says “my wife” everyone in the room is all aflutter. But it is in the moment of  “cause I’m really in the mood” that brings family, friends, God and laughter into the new beginnings, this new family life that really swells the room with joy. There are several couples in our little town that could attest to this moment in their time. You know who you are!

It has been said that if you pray no other prayer all day the most perfect prayer is “Thank You”. Think about it. All else is already known. What we do when we add our thoughts, ours words, our voice to prayer is just that. We finish our invocation in gratitude and take responsibility as we beseech all else begin. A prayerful message sent through thought, conscious or unconscious is our request in communion and the soulful understanding with in of our relationship of Divine presence in our life.

Last month in my column dated July 17, Prayer was mentioned as a means of centering oneself. Prior to and since the writing of that and this column I have received several calls and met with several people who seem in need of a discussion of prayer for themselves and their intentions. Many are concerned about financial situations and the prospect of job changes; it may be a family concern or the challenge of illness. I asked each would you like group support in prayer and all answered “yes”. So here it comes; August 22, National Be An Angel Day, at 7:00pm we are gathering for our first Reiki Prayer Circle. Reiki because those who are Reiki will add that energy to all requests. The Prayer Circle is open to all. The only requirement is to bring your intention and willingness to support others.

It’s Just A Thought but individually or as a group each prayer spoken with truth and sincerity from the mind of the heart knowing we must stand in the Light of our responsibility of our request is being heard and answered For the Good Of All Concerned.

Light Paths – Center For the Healing Arts and The Sophia School Of Wisdom, an accredited outreach center for Sancta Sophia Seminary, are nestled amongst 32 acres of woods only 3 miles from the town of Centreville. Classes are small, intimate and spiritually enriching as all are welcome in the Light of the classroom adjoining Rev. Cross’ home. For more information call 410-758-2579 or e-mail us at lightpaths@me.com.