Secular Objects that Inspire Prayer

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DisorientingSneeze

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Do you have any rather ordinary or unusual objects that inspire you to pray?

Last December I lost my engagement ring. It fell off my finger at church.(Cold weather and weight loss, that’ll teach me to eat salads) I searched and searched and privately cried like a wild animal.

For our anniversary, my husband got me a ring from a pawn shop. I figured that out later when we started getting customer appreciation mail.

Now, knowing it is second-hand, I feel moved to pray for whoever wore it before me.

Is she dead? I should pray for her soul.

Did she say no to the proposal or call off an engagement? If so, I am happy for her and should pray that both she and her ex find the person or vocation meant for them.

Is she divorced? I should pray they do the hard work to reconcile and have a lifetime of happiness together.

Did she have to pawn it to help pay the bills? I should pray her burden is lightened and her circumstances improve.

I’ll never know her story but I feel such an odd connection to this woman out there somewhere.

Every object in the room with you right now connects you to someone who owned it or made it. Do you have any items that do that to you?
 
I hope me and this mystery woman meet in heaven and become good friends.
 
This line of thinking could get really weird pretty fast if you tried it on everything. Every object doesn’t give me these feelings. I’m usually trying not to think of all the people who have sat on a toilet before me.
 
I like little angel figurines. They inspire me to pray. Not sure if that counts as secular or not.
 
Seeing a feather on the ground makes me think of angels or departed souls! I also think of departed souls (especially my mother) whenever I see a coin on the ground. It’s always a good opportunity to say a prayer when I see them.
 
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I am inspired to pray when I see fresh dew after morning rain, or animals outside too.
 
In his book Prayers of Life , the late French priest the Abbe Michel Quoist showed how things can lead to prayer .

For example The Telephone - - - - - - -

I have just hung up ; why did he telephone ?
I don’t know . . . Oh ! I get it . . .
I talked a lot and listened very little .

Forgive me , Lord , it was a monologue and not a dialogue .
I explained my idea and did not get his ;
Since I didn’t listen , I learned nothing .
Since I didn’t listen , I didn’t help .
Since I didn’t listen , we didn’t communicate .

Forgive me , Lord , for we were connected ,
And now we are cut off .

Or At The Door - - - - - - -

The boy stumbled on the doorstep and the door slammed behind him .
He was punished .
Suddenly aware of his disgrace , he rushed in anger at the unfeeling door .
He slapped it , pounded it , stamping and shrieking .
But not a fibre moved on the wooden surface .
The boy caught sight of the key-hole - ironic eye of that sullen door-
But on peeping into it he saw that it was blocked .
Then , in despair , he sat down and cried .

I watched him smiling , and realised , Lord , that I often exhaust myself before locked doors .
I want to make my points , persuade , prove ,
And I talk and brandish arguments ,
I strike hard to reach the imagination or the emotions ,
But I am politely or violently dismissed - I waste my strength ,
vain fool that I am .

Grant me , Lord , to be respectful and patient ,
Loving and praying in silence ,
Standing at the door till it is opened .

And The Sea - - - - - - -

Lord , I saw the sea attacking the rocks , sombre and raging .
From afar the waves gained momentum .
High and proud , they leapt , jostling one another to be the first to strike .
When the white foam drew back , leavivng the rock clear , they gathered themselves to rush forward again .

The other day I saw the sea , calm and serene .
The waves came from afar , creeping , not to draw attention .
Quietly holding hands , they slipped noiselessly and stretched at full length on the sand , to touch the shore with the tips of their beautiful , soft fingers .
The sun gently caressed them , and they generously returned streams of light .

Lord , grant that I may avoid useless quarrels that tire and wound without achieving results .
Keep me from these angry outbursts that draw attention but leave one uselessly weakened .
Keep me from wanting to always outstrip others in my conceit , crushing those in my way .
Wipe from my face the look of dark , dominating anger .
Rather , Lord , grant that I may live my days calmly and fully ,
as the sea covers the whole shore .
Make me humble like the sea , as , silently and gently , it spreads out , unnoticed .
May I wait for my brothers and sisters and match my pace to theirs , that I may move upward with them .
Grant me the triumphant perseverance of the waters .
May each of my retreats turn into an advance .
Give my face the light of clear waters .
Give my soul the whiteness of foam .
Illumine my life that it may sing like sunbeams on the surface of the sea .
But above all , Lord , may I not keep this light for myself , and may all those who come near me return home eager to bathe in your eternal grace .
 
I’m a musically oriented person, so for me it’s secular love songs I hear on the radio. They are rare, but there are some that are pure enough and vague enough that at times I feel it’s Jesus telling me how he loves me (especially on my bad days) or a song from my soul for how I love him. I don’t have a loving relationship with my father, and I don’t remember clearly ever having one, so I relate to Jesus better as “the groom of the church” than to God as a loving father. Jesus is working on me, though. 🙂
 
Rainbows always inspire me to prayer; it’s one of the greatest signs of peace from God. Flowers remind me that through the chaos and turmoil of everyday life, simple beauty can still flourish. And hummingbirds for reasons I’m not quite sure. Yes I am a guy, but I’ve always appreciated the beautiful things in life.
 
Not an object, but secular music.

I prefer secular music that I imbue with my own Christian or personal meaning, over the popular Christian music (say, on the radio).
 
I love the works of Mozart and Chopin. As a pianist, playing and listening to their music moves my soul.
 
The apartment I live in was my grandparents. While I miss them I don’t feel them connected to any of the objects I use and they used. I found some of their letters that made me see them in a new light and miss them terribly. I pray for them but I don’t feel compelled to pray for them.
 
Emergency vehicles.

What happened that someone had to call 911? Are they ok? I ask God to give them grace in the moment
 
I do that as well…I pray for the person and the circumstances when I hear an ambulance siren.
 
Maximilian75 said:
Emergency vehicles.

What happened that someone had to call 911? Are they ok? I ask God to give them grace in the moment
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Yes! My kids have really latched onto that practice, although they have some pretty odd ideas about what the police are up to.
 
DisorientingSneeze said:
That’s beautiful!
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More from Michel Quoist - - - - - - - -

Thank you Lord, thank you.

Thank you for all the gifts that you have given me today,
Thank you for all I have seen, heard, received.

Thank you for the water that woke me up, the soap that smells good, the toothpaste that refreshes.
Thank you for the clothes that protect me, for their color and their cut.
Thank you for the newspaper so faithfully there, for the comics (my
morning smile), for the report of useful meetings, for justice done and for big games won.
Thank you for the street-cleaning truck and the men who run it, for their morning shouts and all the early noises.
Thank you for my work, my tools, my efforts.
Thank you for the metal in my hands, for the whine of the steel biting into it, for the satisfied look of the supervisor and the load of finished pieces.
Thank you for Jim who lent me his file, for Danny who gave me a cigarette, for Charlie who held the door for me.
Thank you for the welcoming street that led me there, for the shop windows, for the cars, for the passers-by, for all the life that flowed swiftly between the windowed walls of the houses.

Thank you for the food that sustained me, for the glass of beer that refreshed me.
Thank you for the car that meekly took me where I wanted to be, for the gas that made it go, for the wind that caressed my face and for the trees that nodded to me on the way.

Thank you for the boy I watched playing on the sidewalk opposite.
Thank you for his roller-skates and for his comical face when he fell.
Thank you for the morning greetings I received, and for all the smiles.
Thank you for the mother who welcomes me at home, for her tactful affection, for her silent presence.
Thank you for the roof that shelters me, for the lamp that lights me, for the radio that plays, for the news, for music and singing.
Thank you for the bunch of flowers, so pretty on my table.

Thank you for the tranquil night.
Thank you for the stars.
Thank you for the silence.

Thank you for the time you have given me.
Thank you for life.
Thank you for grace.

Thank you for being there, Lord.
Thank you for listening to me, for taking me seriously, for gathering my gifts in your hands to offer them to your Father.
Thank you, Lord.
Thank you
 
One of the things I love about my husband is his love of nature and soft spot for animals!
 
Not relating to a particular item but to places. Fr
Ed Looney recommends praying for those who have used a hotel room and those who are goinf to use it in the future whenever you happen to be sleeping at one. I tried this in my recent travels.
 
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