CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER GRACE GROUP

                                                              -Janet Knori

Lent again! Every year it amazes me that so many people come to church on Ash Wednesday. The

common wisdom is that "modem" people are unaware of sin, don't want to be reminded. Yet each year, there are more people at church on Ash Wednesday than on a typical Sunday. We positively LIKE to have ashes imposed upon our foreheads in the shape of the cross.

What is this all about?  Can it be that even in our supposedly completely secular times, we deeply crave contact with something sacred? We deeply desire something true? On the Statue of Liberty are the words "Give,me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free..," And Jesus says, "Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy burdened, and I shall give you rest.  These words express something so deep in the human soul, a wish for a new beginning, a hope for cleansing of all that is past?

Every time we sit down, or walk, or stand, or even lie down and pray, we are striving to open ourselves to that connection with the Holy. In the days when France gave the Statue of Liberty to our country,we

were looked upon as the land of hope, a land specially gifted by God.   Now we have become a liIttle more jaded and cynical. But never do we, as Christians, need to lose our hope and faith. God is aiways available to us. Open up your heart, and the Son WILL shine in!

Sorry, I've been immersed in 1960s and 70s culture!  But it's true, no matter the language. Come and join us, learn more about ways to make your "Quiet Time'" of prayer healing, restful, and restorative, not only to yourself, but to the world around. We meet at 7 on Mondays in the Youth Room, except the last Monday of the month, when we meet in Fr. McProud's office.

For more information, call Janet Knori, 688-3739.