Disciple: The Roots of Spiritual Practice
By the Rev. Adreinne Koch
Editor’s note: As we practice living in The Way of Love in the coming year, it will quickly become clear it is not a path to be traveled and conquered or something that will come and go. Rather, it is a way of life that cannot be undertaken all at once.
For The Way of Love truly to become a way of life, we must introduce the elements of it in ways that allow them to become a part of our daily lives and habits until they feel as natural and needed as anything else we do.
Among our New Year’s resolutions around health and new starts must be the time and space to tend to our spiritual side. Practices – especially prayer - that strengthen and nurture that side of us are as critical as any new food or exercise plan. They are no fad, and their necessity and value has been proven over millennia.
If you have ever heard a preacher begin her sermon with the prayer “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer,” she is quoting Psalm 19:14, a Jewish prayer, and a Psalm still prayed today at the end of Jewish Sabbath prayers like the one below:
We cannot merely pray to You, O God, to end war; for we know that You have made the world in a way that we must find our own path to peace, within ourselves and with our neighbors.
We cannot merely pray to You, O God, to end starvation; for You have already given us the resources with which to feed the entire world, if we would use them wisely.
We cannot merely pray to You, O God, to root out prejudice and hatred; for You have already given us eyes with which to see the good in all people, if we would only care to look for it.
We cannot merely pray to You, O God, to end despair; for You have already given us the power to end poverty and homelessness, and to build hope, if we would only use our resources justly.
Therefore, we pray to You instead, O God, for strength and determination; for wisdom and will power; to do and not just to pray, to become instead of to wish; that our land may be safe, and that our lives may be blessed.
May the words that we pray, and the deeds that we do, be acceptable before You, O God, our Rock and our Redeemer. (Adapted from Rabbi Jack Riemer’s New Prayers for the High Holy Days.)
The form and cadence of this prayer felt Episcopal to me. I once met a woman who converted from Judaism to Christianity and chose The Episcopal Church because the prayers were so similar to the Jewish prayers from her youth.
Many of our Episcopal liturgical practices and prayers are rooted in the traditions of Judaism —our prayers are the connective tissue that grafts us on to Abraham’s tree (Romans 11:19).
What struck me about the prayer above is that, for both Jew and Christian, an acceptable prayer is one with skin in it—a prayer meant to incite physical action. For Christians, we act out our prayers because we are striving to be shaped and formed more and more into the likeness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). For Jews, the invitation is mitzvah, to follow the commands of God to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18).
Jesus’ golden rule for his followers combines a Levitical command with the Shema, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,” and “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31). Both Jew and Christian recognize that love is known in our doing, and our doing is shaped by our praying. But what isn’t always immediately clear is that our shared doing and praying grows from the roots of the Jewish sacrificial system.
THE SACRIFICE OF PRAYER
The ancient practice of Jewish sacrifice is known as korbanot; a Hebrew word etymologically related to a word meaning “to draw close.”
Before the destruction of the temple in 70 CE, Jewish priests went there to offer korbanot on behalf of the people, and individual Jews could offer korbanot for themselves and for others. But after the destruction of the temple, korbanot was not liturgically possible. So rabbis began to teach that nearness to God also comes through a sacrifice of words. They created a series of prayers inspired by the prophet Daniel’s rhythm of prayer while in exile. Daniel would “get down on his knees three times a day to pray to his God and praise him” (Daniel 6:10). Eventually, Jewish prayers were crafted for morning, midday and evening—sound familiar?
For the Episcopal branch of Abraham’s tree, a daily rhythm of prayer is our korbanot, our sacrifice of praise that draws us near to God.
During my ordination process, I asked the Commission on Ministry if they had any advice for a new priest. With an immediacy that surprised me, the chair of the committee said “Don’t stop praying the Daily Office.” Her words were met with nods around the table. The conversation that followed focused on the first signs of spiritual burnout for priests—they lost the rhythm of prayer.
I imagine what is true for priests is also true for all of us because our praying shapes who we are and who we become. No one knew this better than St. Benedict, who founded a rule of life for monastic communities on the two principles of prayer and work. In the Rule of St. Benedict there are set times of corporate prayer that maintain the rhythm of the community. In Episcopal churches, this rhythm may be likened to our weekly Eucharists and Daily Office. But Benedict also taught his monks to pray during the “little hours:” offices known as Terce, Sext and None, which could be prayed with others or alone. For many monks, these hours became the small activities of the day that allowed for personal reflection and devotion.
EXAMPLES OF PRAYER AND WORK
For Episcopalians, the practices that nourish our spirits are likely to be found in the “little hours” of our individual lives.
One of my favorite books as a young adult was written by the 17th-century Carmelite monk Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence was known for his spiritual practice of dishwashing. In his writings, he describes the awe with which he cleans a wooden bowl, recognizing God’s nearness in the small activities of the day. For Brother Lawrence, a wooden bowl is the gift of a tree, and a tree is a gift of God. Upon reflection of his, the monk writes of Christ,
He does not ask much of us, merely a thought of Him from time to time, a little act of adoration, sometimes to ask for His grace, sometimes to offer Him your sufferings, at other times to thank Him for the graces, past and present, He has bestowed on you, in the midst of your troubles to take solace in Him as often as you can. Lift up your heart to Him during your meals and in company; the least little remembrance will always be the most pleasing to Him. One need not cry out very loudly; He is nearer to us than we think. (The Practice of the Presence of God)
Brother Lawrence makes it possible for our spiritual practices to be as varied as our persons, and reminds us that the work of drawing near is God’s work. All we have to do, in whatever we do, is lift up our hearts to Christ.
STAFF SPIRITUAL CARE PRACTICES
Diocesan staff share the small activities – the spiritual practices - that occur in the little hours of their days and weeks. As you read them, consider what your spiritual practice is or could be. Are there simple ways you can pray and work throughout the little hours of the day? Are there small but regular sacrifices you are ready and willing to make to draw yourself and others nearer to God?
My practice is getting ready and being present. I like to get ready, and there is really no secret to my spiritual practice. It has always been a part of who I am, and that is what makes my practice sustainable. In my opinion that is the first step to choosing a spiritual practice: find something you are good at and use it to bring glory and honor to God. I am reminded of how powerful getting ready and stepping in with preparedness are every time I enter a Godly Play worship space. Grounding yourself in the present moment can be freeing and allows for whatever follows to become the present.
- Amy Campbell, Children’s and Family Missioner
When my day feels compressed, as though time has disappeared, I will often turn to the “Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families” in the Book of Common Prayer (page 136). These are one-page “mini-offices” constructed for convenience. As a new parent, with a child who wakes up in the wee hours of the morning, I have had little time for Morning Prayer at home. But I prayed the prayers labeled “In the Morning” so frequently that I now have them memorized and can recall them throughout the day for encouragement and thanksgiving whenever my soul feels depleted.
- The Rev. Adrienne Koch, Campus Minister, Episcopal Campus Ministry-Raleigh
I enjoy incorporating Morning and Evening Prayer into my spiritual practice. It’s very grounding but because I am often on the road early in the morning and late in the evening to meet with clergy and Vestry/Search Committees around the diocese, I sometimes find I do not make time for them as I should, so I enjoy using the app Pray as you Go, an Ignatian-based practice that allows me to deepen my relationship and conversation with God.
- Canon Catherine Massey, Canon for Transition and Pastoral Ministries
It is my practice to keep sabbath on Fridays unless some emergency prevents it. Everyone I work with knows that, in part due to my e-mail signature block. On that day, I don’t typically do housework or shop. I do write, as that is a form of recreation and expression for me; and almost every Friday I walk and talk for about an hour with a friend who is also a priest. She and I have been walking and talking together on our sabbath for over a decade, and it’s been a wonderful time of fellowship and mutual support for both of us.
- The Rev. Canon Rhonda Lee, Regional Canon
I’m not a very routine-oriented person. One thing I have to do every day is walk my dog. Andy’s a husky who needs a good 30-45 minute walk. So off we go with treats, poop bags, cellphone and earplugs. I’m not listening to my playlist, but Evensong from Nashotah House. Or I’m reading EP from Mission St. Clare with music interspersed. Or Common Prayer for Ordinary Radicals. There are no cars because I am in the park, and most people don’t bother you if they think you can’t hear them. Begin with your life and see where prayer fits.
- The Rev. Kevin Matthews, Campus Minister, St. Mary’s House
The Rev. Adrienne Koch is the campus minister for Episcopal Campus Ministry-Raleigh.
Tags: North Carolina Disciple
