There is a growing awareness today how beneficial prayer can be in our spiritual lives. We sometimes think that prayer is long, complex and boring. We certainly feel it’s beyond our reach. But in many ways it is within our reach and especially when we apply prayer to those everyday events that happen in our daily lives. We can find God present in what we do right now, be it out for a walk, reading a book, working in the garden, getting in some exercise or watching the beauty of nature. The list can never be exhausted. I had the privilege of attending the 1st Holy Communion Mass in Cloghroe last Saturday. Such a beautiful celebration was a reminder just how special our faith is and how we sometimes take it for granted. God is indeed present everywhere, except we rush and race so much we haven’t time to notice.

Mindfulness is a word we hear a lot about today. It puts the focus on the present moment. It is becoming aware of what we are doing while we are doing it. It puts emphasis on appreciating the gift of the present moment. When we are mindful, finding God in the present moment becomes so much easier.

The following by Aileen O’Donoghue is food for thought:

In my spiritual life, I try to seek simplicity. When I recognise that I’ve lost simplicity in prayer, I turn to a meditation that many spiritual teachers recommend. In rhythm with my breathing, I start with, “Be still and know that I am God”, then drop words off at the end to “Be still and know that I am”, “Be still and know” and finally “Be still”. One can then add the last words back on again until you arrive at where you started, “Be still and know that I am God”. One can do it once, twice or as long as we want.