This
semester it was very helpful to me to have time set aside each day for daily
prayer and reflection. The prayer book I used was “Sacred Space 2013” by the
Irish Jesuits. It was very helpful to me to reflect on the daily readings
because the book gives guided questions and reflection topics for each daily
reading. I often found myself more in tune with my day because many of the reflections
involved how I respond to others in my daily life; in times of stress, sadness,
joy, or pain. I was able to be more mindful of the ways I interacted with
others because of my prayer.
I also
became more involved with other forms of prayer throughout the semester after
my husband and I found that we were expecting a child. I had a very rough time
keeping food down or getting out of bed. Most of my time was spent in bed
trying to stay as still as I could to get through the day. It was a time where
I tried to remember each day the importance of prayer. I found myself
reflecting often on a painting I have in my room of the visitation. It is a
beautiful painting that my family got when we lived in Hungary of Mary and
Elizabeth. My parents were in love with the painting and bought hundreds of
prints so that they could frame them and give them as gifts. It was not until I
became pregnant that I realized the power and simplicity of this painting, and
that I had a woman in Mary that I could go to in prayer in times of fear,
discomfort, and anxiety. I was also reminded during this time of the importance
of the prayers of those who have gone before us. I found myself praying for my
Dad to intercede on my behalf, it was very comforting to know that he was
someone I could reach out to in prayer during this time. I also found myself
being very grateful for the opportunity to have a baby and praying for other
women who have difficulties in pregnancy or who are unable to have children. I
found that prayer during this time was a very uniting force and caused me to
move beyond myself in a time when it was very easy to get lost in my own
struggles. The power of prayer was very evident to me during this time. I also
found my husband and I growing closer in prayer. We would sometimes join
together in praying the readings and meditations from “Sacred Space” and we
would often just stop in the evening to pray for our child and other needs of
our community and world.
