“Pray as you can, not as you can’t”
—St. Francis de Sales 1565-1622
One of the things that this column has taught me is that people want to learn how to pray. I sometimes receive emails – or even phone calls – from people who have read something here, saying they want to know “more”, and after a conversation or a few emails back-and-forth, they may begin to explore another way to pray or they may ask for more guidance.
The fact that people want to learn how to pray is Good News for the Church! It is also a challenge to us, not only those affiliated with the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer, but to the whole Church, to be providing opportunities for people to learn how to pray – and to also be faithful in our own holy habit of prayer.
In mid-March 2020, as we were confronted by the impact of Covid-19 and the Church moved “on-line”, clergy and lay people alike began offering not only worship services, but also study groups, book clubs, coffee hours, choir practices, Sunday School, as well as Meditation and “how to pray” classes. My friend Heather Carter and I were invited by another friend in London, Ontario to an online “Quarantine Retreat”, a weekly hour and a half interactive prayer time – via Zoom. When the four sessions concluded, we wondered if we could step out of our technological comfort zone and offer something similar, and so the first series of “Pray As You Can” was launched.
The title “Pray as you can, not as you can’t” comes from a quote attributed to St. Francis de Sales (1565-1622), a Bishop of Geneva in the 17th century. He wrote the celebrated “Introduction to the Devout Life”, a collection of some letters addressed to “Philothea” (Lover of God), believed to be his cousin, Marie de Charmoisy, and to others to whom he offered spiritual direction.
He maintained that “Our relationship with God is rooted in prayer” and he gave instruction of a variety of ways to communicate with the Divine, including lectio divina (spiritual reading) and meditation. The collection is full of practical advice on prayer, virtues, vices, friendships, and the spiritual life, since used by Christians in every walk of life and across every generation. This classic spiritual ‘how-to’ book demonstrates how every person, regardless of their calling, can come closer to God by simple acts of faithful intention.
The title seemed appropriate for what Heather and I hoped to convey: that there are many ways to “talk” to God and that not everyone prays the same way. As Anglicans, we’ve been blessed with the poetic language and rich imagery of the Book of Common Prayer.
Those who have grown up in the tradition speak of the prayers of the BCP (along with the Psalms and Canticles) as being “grafted in their bones”. And while we love the cadence of the language and know many of the words by heart, there can be times when another way of praying may help us to deepen our relationship with God. Lectio Divina (the prayerful reading of scripture) Visio Divina (praying with art, the use of images), ending the day well with the Examen, using a Labyrinth (a kind of walking meditation), journaling, the Ignatian exercises – all these are threads in the richly woven tapestry of our conversation with God.
The response to the first “Pray as you can” series led to a second and we are now in the throes of planning for the third. We’ve both been heartened – and humbled – by the participants’ desire to learn.
As a new year unfolds before us, a year still in the grip of pandemic, perhaps now is a good time to consider exploring new ways of prayer – not so much to replace what you are already doing, but rather to enrich your experience. A helpful tool prepared by the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer is a “Prayer Inventory”, a resource aimed at helping us examine our current practice and determine if there are some ways in which we can stretch ourselves. You can access it, and many other supports for your prayer life online at http://anglicanprayer.org/index.php/resources/
May this year be blessed with springs of refreshment as we seek to draw closer to God and to one another through prayer.
