pray as you breathe

What do all of us do all the time? We breathe. Along with other religious traditions, Christianity links prayer with breathing. Ways of breathing prayerfully can be intense or intermittent. One intermittent way is to say a form of words silently or aloud, linking it with your breath as you move from place to place performing simple tasks. Even if you repeat the words only a few times, you have engaged in prayer and welcomed the Spirit as your companion.

​In response to the extraordinary circumstances in which we now live, a suitable form of words can be: Let your way be known upon earth; your saving health among all nations. These intercessions from Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer have their ultimate origin in the Book of Psalms. Say them from time to time, let them ride gently on the tide of your breath. Thus you will help everyone here on our troubled planet.

​Charles Hoffacker