{"id":260792,"date":"2016-06-28T07:26:28","date_gmt":"2016-06-28T12:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/?p=260792"},"modified":"2016-06-29T11:26:47","modified_gmt":"2016-06-29T16:26:47","slug":"five-minute-mystic-part-ii-deeper-prayer-as-a-couple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/06\/five-minute-mystic-part-ii-deeper-prayer-as-a-couple\/","title":{"rendered":"Five minute mystic part II: deeper prayer as a couple"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"fiveFirst try\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

I set the timer for an non-intimidating five minutes. We decided to begin with the Our Father, and at the end of the five minutes of silence, to pray the Glory Be.<\/p>\n

He said he was a little nervous. I agreed that it felt funny.<\/p>\n

Inner prayer, or “mental prayer,” as St. Teresa of Avila called it, is at the heart of my life as a Carmelite, and he knew all about it. \u00a0But I had not actually shared the practice of it with him.<\/p>\n

We sat catty corner to each other, the cat asleep in the crook of his arm. He surprised me by putting his hand in mine after I closed my eyes. That was very nice, and re-enforced what we were doing; coming before God as a couple, opening our hearts to Him and to one another.<\/p>\n

I shifted so that I was more comfortable.<\/p>\n

The timer gently rang out its \u201cding \u2026.. ding\u2026. ding.\u201d As agreed, we prayed aloud a slow, comfortable Our Father, and then fell silent.<\/p>\n

I was surprised that the silence felt casual. I felt like we were old friends who had just let a conversation drift into comfortable quiet.<\/p>\n

It was interesting to me that as I retreated into my \u201cinner room\u201d to pray, and became recollected, I felt like Mark\u2019s presence came along. My inner quiet was strengthened by his.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t embarrassing or uncomfortable at all. It was just a summer day in Bryan, the song of cicadas, a sleeping cat, a dozing dog, a clock ticking, the whir of the ceiling fan, the silent love of a praying couple, and quiet, and God.<\/p>\n

It was easy.<\/p>\n

And then my mind started thinking about it. Thinking… thinking…<\/p>\n

I inwardly began to invoke the Name of Jesus whenever a thought came up. \u00a0The Name of Jesus, said with love, is a prayer in itself.<\/p>\n

Then in simple peace, I didn’t have to do anything.<\/p>\n

After a while, my heart prayed on its own from deep within itself,<\/p>\n

“We are beautiful, we are Jesus, we are love.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDing\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGlory be,\u201d we said, “to the Father\u2026.<\/p>\n

and to the Son,<\/p>\n

and to the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

As it was in the beginning,<\/p>\n

is now,<\/p>\n

and ever shall be,<\/p>\n

world without end.<\/p>\n

Amen.”<\/p>\n

I leaned over and gave him a kiss.<\/p>\n

\u201cKiss of peace,\u201d I said. He smiled.
\n\"We<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What did he think? <\/strong><\/p>\n

He thought the five minutes very nice, and not too difficult. His found his mind wandering a couple of times, but he redirected himself to prayer without inner comment. He was surprised how quickly the time went, and how peaceful it was.<\/p>\n

Later, on his way to Austin, he called me just to tell me he loved me. We talked about how close we felt.<\/p>\n

He said he liked praying that way, and we should do that more often.<\/p>\n

We were less stressed out, and we felt closer.<\/p>\n

Taking some quiet time together in a way that is prayer not only gave us a stopping place and a new beginning in our day, but strength for the journey, the peace that comes from re-centering in God, and a sense of a closer, stronger bond.<\/p>\n

What do you do with the silence?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are several different established methods of inner prayer in the Church, and various ways to calm your body and mind in order to become recollected to open the way to praying deeply and in greater simplicity and receptivity to God. Here is a little format to try.<\/p>\n