From CMMB: Your Weekly Reflection in Prayer 10/20/13

“As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight. But Moses’ hands grew tired; so they put a rock in place for him to sit on. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady till sunset.” Exodus 17:11-12  October 20, 2013 29th Sunday of the Year English: Moses, supported by Aaron and Hur, is praying for victory (Painting by J.E. Millais, 1923) Deutsch: Moses, Aaron und Hur beten für den Sieg (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Dear Friends, We think that prayer consists of words – our words to God and God speaking to us. But in the bible story this Sunday, there is no mention of words. Raising one’s arms to God is prayer! We can stand, kneel, or sit. We can join our hands, or reach out and up with open palms. We can close our eyes or cast them down. As Catholics often do, we can pray by tracing the Sign of the Cross on our forehead, chest and arms. Also, simply coming together in silence in our homes or churches with our brothers and sisters can be a time of prayer. The point is that not only by words but by gestures, by our hands, our body and by our heart, we pray and we communicate with God. Our physical posture becomes our prayer, if words fail us. God be in my head, and in my understanding; God be in my eyes, and in my looking; God be in my mouth, and in my speaking; God be in my heart, and in my thinking; God be at my end and at my departing. Amen Rev. Peter Schineller, S.J., CMMB Board of Directors