SadhanaOriental Meditation and Christian Prayer
To pray with body (taking a breath)
[27] Receiving blessing of Holy Communion through our body – 1 (Praying for words filled with love and wisdom)
This prayer is based on the meditation described in [27] of the “Prayer with Fantasy” section. (If you wish to try this prayer, do [27] of “Prayer with Fantasy” first.)
The body of Christ stays in my heart. Christ’s body stays where the candle of fire was in No. 27 of “Prayer with Fantasy,” and remains solemnly in the glorious light. When the body of Christ steadily sits inside me, my heart receives love directly from the body of Christ in addition to the candle of fire. The love from Christ’s body spreads in my heart. This love expands throughout my body, and then it fills the room I am in, the entire earth, and the universe.
May the “love of bread (note)” in Christ’s body take root in me. I pray that my love may be strengthened. I pray that I may love others through the love in the body of Christ. I pray that I may become a person of love. Spend some time in prayer. (7 min.)
Now, the body of Christ moves to our forehead, between eyebrows. Christ’s body stays solemnly in the center of the light. With this glorious light, the blessing of the body of Christ spreads in the area between my eyebrows. This area receives the blessing of wisdom. I become more keenly awake, notice more, and deepen wisdom. This blessing of awakening, awareness, and deepened wisdom expands throughout my body, the room I am in, the entire earth, and the universe.
I pray that the awakening, awareness, and wisdom may be fully strengthened in me. I pray that I may always be directed by them. Take sufficient time in prayer. Continue praying, seeing the body of Christ that stays in the area between the eyebrows. (7 min.)
In the third step, the body of Christ moves to the throat. Christ’s body stays in the center of the light. The body of Christ shares the blessing of words from the glorious light that spreads in the throat.
I receive blessing from the body of Christ. Christ’s body gives me new words. The blessing of the words spreads throughout my body. And then it fills the room I am in, the entire earth, and the universe. Pray for the blessing of the new words. (5 min.)
The body of Christ brings together my love, wisdom, and words, which were unorganized. The blessed new words from the body of Christ are filled with love and wisdom. Let’s pray that my throat, which tends to depart from love and wisdom, is connected to love and wisdom. Pray that I can always speak words of love and wisdom. (7 min.)
Conclude this session by singing a hymn (Tenrei Seika (Japanese liturgical hymn book) #75 “God, your words,” for example).
(Note 1) Love of bread: By reflecting on the fact that Christ changed bread into his body in the Last Supper, we can see that Christ changed the mere bread into his body through divine power so that we can eat it. Christ encourages us to live spiritually. He gives himself to us as food and enhances us from inside so that we can enrich our life. To give himself as food for us, he had to follow the path of devoting himself to God on the cross. This reveals his tremendous love. The expression “love of bread” is used here to describe his way of loving us.