Jesus gives us a model for praying in solitude, which is the geography conducive for engaging in bodily prayer. Jesus went apart to places away from the hustle and bustle to meet God in the wilderness. Solitude is the soil that prayer must be nourished in. As Henri Nouwen has so aptly said, “Solitude is the place of mourning and the place of dancing.” Solitude grooms us for hearing the lament in our hearts and dances in our souls. Eventually all other concerns dissipate, and we are let alone to present to ourselves and be present to God.
Our bodies are a vulnerable and precious place, and many of us may feel too exposed to bring our bodies to prayer and risk being interrupted by a friend, roommate, or spouse. It is crucial to have a place where we feel safe. Safe to be naked with our feelings, thoughts, groans, and cries. Jesus beckons us to pray by going into our room, closing the door, and praying to God, who is unseen (Matthew 6:6). Prayer requires that we have the nourishment of solitude. Verbal, reflective, or meditative prayer can be done while riding on a bus, subway, or in a car, but it is not easy to pray with our bodies in a public place. We need to find a private place, the place where we can meet the Beloved with all of who we are.
Embodied Prayer
Celeste Snowber
1 comment:
beautiful post...am touched by the part..."Safe to be naked with our feelings, thoughts, groans, and cries. " keep writing...i'll come back to read. =)
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