Sacred Space—Sacred Time
I
am growing in appreciation of both sacred space to pray alone and sacred time
to pray together. Before community prayer each day I walk in the
neighborhood.
My
Dominican prayer group (three sisters and two associates) meets for prayer each
day at 7am. In one part of the prayer, a short current writing from
indigenous peoples is read. Those writings have made me more conscious of the
carved image, a five-minute walk away on the shore of Lake Monona. The
statue was carved from a storm destroyed hackberry tree in 1991 by Harry
Whitehorse of the Ho Chunk people and bronzed by the community to preserve it
in 2009. The carving is named “Let the great Spirits soar”. It is
adjacent to another image formed by people 10,000 years ago who gathered by the
water and built mounds in the shape of animals in which to place the human
remains of their beloved dead.
So
in my sacred prayer space along Lake Monona, I have become aware that I am
accompanied by a great gathering of spirit souls. Together we enjoy
the beauty of Earth displayed all around us. Then I come to the
sacred prayer time with other Dominicans to praise God and ask blessings on
many who touch our lives daily.
Where
are your sacred spaces? Where do you find others with whom to pray?
Joan Duerst OP
Madison,
Wisconsin
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