"Keep us, O God, from all pettiness. Let us be large in thought, in word, in deed. Let us be done with fault-finding and leave off all self-seeking. May we put away all pretense and meet each other face to face, without self-pity or without prejudice. May we never be hasty in judgment, and always generous. Let us always take time for all things, and make us grow calm, serene, and gentle. Teach us to put into action our better impulses, to be straightforward and unafraid. Grant that we may realize that it is the little things in life that create differences, that in the big things of life we are as one. And, O God, let us not forget to be kind."
                                Queen Mary Stuart

I sat in a circle yesterday as people shared with one another the practice of their prayer life, their devotional practices, their frustrations over time and its lack, what readings inspired them. It is a circle of people I know well, and love, so the sharing was real and honest and deep. It is a privilege beyond words to have this circle in my life. It is a place of safety, a place where being heard is a gift.

To talk about how one prays is a very vulnerable and personal thing to do…even in ‘professional, religious’ circles. I imagine it was not always so. But in the culture we all move in, with so many ways of doing everything the ‘right’ way or the way that leads to success, you can feel as if your skin is turned wrong-side-out, the senses exposed when these conversations arise. There is a negative piety that can crop up when conversation turns to questions like ‘how do you pray?’ ‘how often do you pray?’ ‘where and when do you pray?’

So it might not be coincidental that my eyes fell upon this prayer of Queen Mary Stuart this morning. It is in a small book that I pull out every now and then, Life Ablaze:A Woman’s Novena by Sr. Joan Chittister. Maybe this is the prayer that we all wish to pray. Maybe this is a prayer we all wish will be answered in us.If I could walk out the door each morning carrying the protection of this prayer…mostly protection from myself….how might my life be filled with and reflect the Holy One in the world? If these words lingered in my ears and my heart, how might I interact with those I love and those I find difficult? If these were the words I offered to God in prayer, how might my life be transformed?

I don’t have answers to these questions. But I do have faith in them.