Give Us This Day: The Story of PrayerGandhi called prayer "the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening." But what is a prayer? Do you need to believe in God in order to pray? Why are the words important? What is the difference between prayer and meditation? Should you ask for things when you pray? Do prayers change the world around us? Rufus Goodwin--writer, linguist, and former United Press correspondent to the Vatican--addresses these and other questions about prayer in this thoughtful book. He examines the various traditions of prayer through the ages. He discusses practices, ranging from the ancient Indian yoga of sound to the Christian monastic rules of prayer, giving examples of the various religious litanies that ritualize and celebrate the sense of a higher life. Goodwin's intention is not to compare different traditions, but to get at the essential technique and the attitude of prayer--its cognitive workings. Prayer is seen as key to an active inner life and an experience of the higher self. He shows us how prayer can bring about a cognitive restructuring that provides greater access to renewal, imagination, inspiration, and intuition, and provides an anchor for meaning in daily life. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 45
... things are sharp and clear to a place that is more like mist . As you gradually find your way into the mist , however , you dis- cover that it is not just one homogenous blank cloud . There are subtle variations , which you begin to ...
... thing that has happened in our life . These emotions do not go away but are held in a new kind of space , one that gives them room to breathe . Of course , we do not have to be in an emotional state to pray . Prayer creates its own ...
... thing happens . In going deeper within ourselves , we lose our subjectivity . The inner space of the praying is one in which the presence I address encompasses my own subjectivity , without in any way taking away my freedom or making me ...
... things . On the side of ordinary speaking , we begin every prayer by announcing our humbleness — with an act of humility that , so to speak , puts us in our proper place . But these same words , from the soul point of view , are words ...
... things that refuse to pray . This refusal occurs first when we turn away from and lose the actual experience of soul . Then , we may seem to pray , but in fact it is no longer possible to pray . For prayer is the fundamental gesture of ...
Contents
7 | |
16 | |
23 | |
29 | |
31 | |
The Wailing Wall Jewish Tradition | 42 |
Celtic Blessings | 49 |
Jesus at Prayer | 57 |
ACCESS TO PRAYER | 135 |
Seed Words for Sleepless Nights | 137 |
Stages or Meditation | 144 |
A First Prayer | 154 |
Mantras | 159 |
Western Mantras | 166 |
The Lords Prayer | 171 |
The Future or Prayer | 176 |
The Apostles Pray | 68 |
The Church Fathers | 75 |
Eastern Orthodox Tradition | 86 |
Prayer Rugs Islamic Tradition | 93 |
What Use Is Prayer? The Medievals | 104 |
The Dazzling Darkness | 113 |
Objections to Prayer | 123 |
APPENDIX | 185 |
B Medicine in Prayer | 197 |
GLOSSARY of prayer terms | 207 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY | 217 |
INDEX | 222 |