Every Monday from 12:15 to 12:30, I get to lead a prayer group in the Divine Hours. We pray for different aspects of the Roberts and Northeastern communities each time we come together. I had no idea what to expect the first time around. How pleasant to welcome 9 people, a mixture of staff and students.
It's a little nerve wracking, sharing a style of prayer that is more formal and liturgical than just coming together and praying silently and out loud. It felt awkward and strange. Even the little touches I brought to help create a sense of sacred space suddenly seemed outlandish. I had a purple quilted square, a little triangle hanging from a small stand, and a battery operated white pillar candle.
Together we sang the Psalm passages laid out for us in the Divine Hours for today. I do this by myself and it seems intimate and fulfilling to my soul. Together in a group is a different experience. I am concerned that people will find it too restrictive. It might be uncomfortable for those who don't worship this way and who have not stumbled across it on their own and found it to be vibrant.
Afterwards, one of the students came up excited. This is the way he worships back home. He was excited to discover that the same style exists here. He even offered to bring in his Psalter and I will be happy to take a look at his book and learn more ways of singing the Psalms.
Whew! It is perfectly OK to offer some options about how we pray here on campus. I am relieved to find out there are others who enjoy this style of prayer too.
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