Prayers Go Beyond, So Just P A U S E 12/2/2019

         This post will focus on the second theme of prayer: prayers go beyond, therefore we become more than who we were. Cleo McNelly Kearns provides substance to this theme by taking into account a colleague’s experience with the Eastern yogic practice. Kearns notes how prayer in Western traditions is often linked with a verbal performance, and consequently, the problem of logocentrism. I agree with Kearns, because I do think that there are prayers that are done using elaborate words, and eloquent phrases, sometimes to the point where the prayer is smothered by it all. The prayer should be natural and ever-flowing, and I think that that is the point Kearns tries to make through her connection between breath, silence, and speech. In the book, it is stated that, “paying attention to one’s breathing and noting its connection to the divine breath creates a more profound and intimate experience of the divine.” Personally, I have learned through my personal experience with prayer that while words may be too much, the silence says enough. This is because it is more than just silence, it is a Pause. A time where instead of spilling off words with no meaning, one pauses- sitting in silence, their body breathing, as the breath of the Spirit joins them in prayer.