God likes to be found in silence - simple instructions to help you "pray" in "silence"....

In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity (Jeremiah 31:31-34) every person can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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 In both Jewish and Christian faith traditions the common experience of seekers of God is that He likes to be found in silence; not necessarily external silence, but interior silence in our own spirit.

A spiritual exercise in PRAYER – whether or not you pray regularly            (10 to 15 minutes)

Set a timer for 7 minutes. Read these instructions first. 

1)      Sit comfortably, hands resting on your knees…   Back & head straight…  & relax…

2)      Be still… adjusting your body in any way you need to in order to let go & relax…

3)      Pay attention to your interior landscape as if you were driving in the country…

4)      If all is quiet and peaceful, lovely… now focus on a kind image of God or Jesus

5)      If all is not quiet, notice the noise, words, echoes, whatever comes along…

Acknowledge each one briefly and let it go; focus again on a kind image of God or Jesus

6)      If you are on familiar terms with God or Jesus; then have a good visit with Him.
If you are not on familiar terms with God or Jesus, consider this an introduction.
He is very interested in having a personal relationship with you: it’s always up to you.

7)      You always get to decide how open you want to be with the Creator & Saviour….

8)      Start your timer for 7 minutes of silence….  With time, you may want to slowly increase this time….

9)      When your timer rings, stop or if you want, continue in silence to max 15 min. for now; then stop.

Review of your experience of silence

Your connection with God will become more real and personal as you make silence and prayer a regular part of your day as a spiritual exercise, an exercise of your spirit. It is within our spirit that God connects with us because God is SPIRIT and not flesh. Yes, Jesus took on flesh, a human nature, when He was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit. As Son of God, though, Jesus is SPIRIT like the Father and the Holy Spirit. God created us human beings with an “empty space” in the center of our self, our identity, our soul or spirit and this space is designed to receive the mysterious divine presence of God the Holy Trinity. When we welcome God, we become most fully and perfectly human. Many scientists deny the existence of the soul or spirit because they cannot observe or measure it with instruments. That is because "spirit" exists in another dimension and we already have the "interface" we need to enter into this realm of spirit, the realm which is God's "natural state or habitat". All we need is to trust in God. 

The whole adventure of life begins our free response, yours and mine… that is how God designed life on Earth for us humans. Jesus didn’t come to reform the Roman Empire or even the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. He came to help people, one person at a time, even in speaking to crowds; so that all those who want to encounter God can decide to accept to enter into a personal relationship with the Father through Jesus and with the help of the Holy Spirit. From this point of departure, we can experience how God wants to enrich all our relationships with others, beginning with our own family of origin, and then through marriage, in developing our own family as a couple for the flowering of family life. For celibates – whether they choose to be celibate or not – the journey is similar but in a different mode. God offers mutual personal knowledge and intimate, loving relations to every human being.

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In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity (Jeremiah 31:31-34) every person can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.

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© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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