20160311 (perpetuo ora)

And when you sleep? Maybe it's meant poetically.

Pray always except when operating

Heavy machinery. Or while cutting 

Somebody’s skull open . . . or while

Diving from towers higher than ten

Meters . . . or while instructing Boy

Scouts in how to recognize poison

Ivy . . . or etc. As I explained in a 

Post a bit ago I’m presently taking 

A course in what might be called

Here’s some ways Western Christians

Have prayed. While sympathizing 

With their intentions I find a lot

Of it unable to bear scrutiny. Here’s

My take on what “Pray always”

Might really mean. Maybe God is like

Me when I think back to my kids

Studying in high school and I 

Made for each of them a little

Desk motto:  “Studying doesn’t

Happen if the radio’s on.” (You 

Can see my advice predates the 

Universality of computers in

Schooling and usage of the term

“Multitasking.”) When attention 

Is divided, it’s disabled. One

Either walks or chews gum.

But the age of multitasking is 

Here whether I want it or not and

“Praying always” is considered

Possible however much I think 

They’re wrong. Were I the Almighty 

Advising mortals in my office I

Wouldn’t take lightly their looking at

Watches or phones periodically 

Only listening with half their 

Concentration watered down with 

Basketball scores or trendy rap.

Actually we’ve already got a fair notion

Of what God wants in a prayer His

Son taught us. It has a beginning;

It has an end. It covers all the basic

Needs and desires. Nobody said, 

Well after you say or sing this, 

Start all over again. The words 

Offered us for repetitive praying

Don’t cut it in my book. The

Instructors should become familiar

With classic psychological studies

Showing methodical repetition of

Words diminishes their meaning

Rather than deepening it. Further our

Finest hymns teach us mountains 

And streams praise the Lord always

Just by being themselves. Like animals

By being lioney, tigerey, hybrid dogey. 

Whatever they do fulfills their purpose, 

Which is all they can do whether 

They think about it or not. Why not 

The same for us?—when we simply

Do our humanity—hammering nails,

Pulling teeth, cooking, eating (healthfully,

Of course). Then when we get in

The mood (or are pushed into the

Mood by the beauty of things, the 

Goodness of people, animals, even

Our own generosity) we can drop

Every distraction, concentrate 

In singular desire in honest prayer

A while, then not feel the slightest 

Bit guilty about resuming our lives.

c. J.S.Manista, 2016