Pray Without Ceasing

We often encounter people who say that Hallowe'en is their favorite holiday. In this case, as in so many others in our culture (candidates put up for public office who are poorly informed about politics and the world), ignorance breeds folly. How many of those folks who adore Hallowe'en really know what they're doing -- going all out to celebrate a pagan festival day occasion originally known as Samhain, which was the most important feast day in the Celtic year, when the souls of the dead were thought to mingle with those of the living? Its original purpose was to pacify these dark wandering spirits by setting out food and drink to appease them. In other words, you're giving out candy to living beings impersonating dead spirits so they won't harm you. What's so great about that? "All Hallows" on Nov. 1, which we now call All Saints Day, was invented by the Christian church to sap away energy from Samhain, but it didn't work. Hallows Eve, or Hall...

I chose this as the title for this blog, a verse from Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, because it's something I need to be reminded of every day. What if prayer was something we turn to only in times of extreme stress? Can you imagine what life would be like if prayer was as natural as breathing, a life-giving act which we perform without even thinking about it? How effortlessly the breath of the Spirit ( ruach in Hebrew, "breath," is also the word for God's creative spirit) would become our breath! How endlessly consoling would be the reminder that God is with us, truly with us, if we were to keep the channel for discourse with God open at all times!  Pray without ceasing...and see what God can do.