Four little questions of prayer

Fourth in a Lenten series on Stewardship -- A Life of Prayer

	Stewardship Stewardship: A Way of Life is the diocesan thrust. It invites Catholics to acknowledge that all of life is a gift of God and to respond through prayer, service and sharing. This series will look at ways to do that.

If making your home a "house of prayer" seems to be an impossible dream, remember what scripture tells us: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst."

Lent
• Lent-related articles  • 2003 Lenten Wish List (3/7 issue)  • Lenten rules (2/28 issue)

God is always present in our homes and in our lives. You don't need formal or fancy prayers to connect with God. You just have to be aware of God's presence and then gather with a prayerful intention.

Use your time together to find God in the ordinary and profound miracles of life ... a beautiful sunset, a silly story, a pretty flower or the recovery of a sick pet ... any moment can be God-connected.

Then, at the end of the day, make it a habit to relive those sacred moments. Gather as a family, perhaps near the youngest child's bed, and have each person answer these four questions:

• What do you want to thank God for today?

• What do you want to ask God to do to help someone?

• What are you sorry for today?

• What do you want to praise God for tonight?

End with a "jingle prayer" such as:

Thank you Jesus for our day,

for guiding me at work and play,

please bless in a special way ... (list people) ...

Amen.

We began this practice when our children were toddlers. We carry on the same prayer ritual today with our teenagers. Our oldest daughter is a junior in college, living away from home. She still answers those four questions each night before she goes to sleep. It is simple enough for the tiny child and complex enough for the intellectual scholar.

We have shared this powerful prayer ritual with visiting grandparents, friends at sleepovers and even around the death bed of a close family friend.

This simple prayer challenges us to find God right where we are, in the events and relationships of our everyday lives. This time of reflection shows us God's presence in the everyday concerns of softball games, crying babies, piano lessons, grocery shopping, laundry, dirty dishes, birthday parties, the struggle to learn geometry, new puppies, band concerts, first dates, painful family arguments, prom, teen rebellion against parental rules, anniversaries, the loss of a grandparent, the smile of a baby cousin and much more.

These times of prayerful conversations have clarified our family values, encouraged healing and forgiveness, enhanced our Christian perspective, fostered faith and helped us experience God's presence in our daily routines.

Over the years this practice has not only brought us to a closer relationship with God, it has been the "sacred cement" that has bonded us to one another. Those four questions are not only a powerful prayer, they are an answer to prayers!

(Hannemann, the founder of Elizabeth Ministry International, is a member of St. Bernard Parish, Appleton.)

• Next: Praying with the Psalms