Prayers to pray with your body

Posted on: /in /by

Sometimes, when we pray, we become distracted by racing thoughts, worries, the ever-present to-do list, daydreams, or a myriad of other mental traffic. Prayers that use our bodies can help us to feel focused and present in the moment. These prayers also remind us that our bodies are created by God in His image, and that, when we pray, we bring all we are and all we do. We don’t need to try to become a disembodied mind, or pure spirit; our bodies are holy places, too.

Each of these prayers uses the body, with a particular focus on the hands, and on the breath.

Try one, or all, and see if these help to still your busy thoughts.

Click here to download a PDF with the Prayer of Letting Go, the Labyrinth Prayer, the Prayer of Square Breathing, and a Prayer for Five People in Five Minutes on Five Fingers. If you find these prayers helpful, and would like to donate to CMHI to support our ministry, all of which is funded by donations, please click here to do so. Thank you.

Photo by nega on Unsplash

 

 

Healing Prayer Group booklet

Posted on: /in , /by

We are delighted to make a new version of our guidelines and help for Healing Prayer Groups available, so if your parish is planning to set up such a group, or revive one that’s dormant, or is looking for help and ideas for your existing group, then our booklet is just what you need.

It’s available for download and printing by clicking here.

As all our work is funded by donations, if you find this booklet useful, please donate to support us. Details of how to donate are available here.

Online lunchtime pauses – Be Still and Know

Posted on: /in , /by

30 minutes.

Silence.

Scripture.

Contemplative Prayer.

Quiet Companionship – with God, with self, with others, with the here and now.

Turning our attention simultaneously to less and to More.

BE STILL AND KNOW – MONDAY LUNCHTIME, ON ZOOM

Starts 8 Sept, and runs for the next 3 weeks. Time: 1.15 – 1.45pm

Book your place by clicking HERE

You can join from your bed, from your desk, as you walk the dogs, wherever you are at, let’s acknowledge together the Presence of God in that moment, in that place.

Cameras on, cameras off – your choice. We will be blessing and praying for each other quietly as part of our practice so it can be helpful to have your name on the screen, even if it’s blank. I can help you with that if you like, and will be there 10 minutes before the session starts. But remember, God knows who you are, and you can journey with this little community anonymously or otherwise. There is room for you.

A quotation from Leviticus, chapter 19, verses 33 and 34: "And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God".

CMHI prays for all refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers

Posted on: /in , /by

The Church’s Ministry of Ireland prays for all who have lost their homes, their countries, their security, their safety. We pray for all refugees, for all asylum seekers, for all forced into migration. We pray for forgiveness for the times when we have been too tired or stressed to care about news headlines, when we have turned our heads away from abuses and injustices towards people seeking refuge, and we ask God to help us to live his commandment to love the stranger as ourselves.

 

A quotation from Leviticus, chapter 19, verses 33 and 34: "And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God".

Photo by Ante Gudelj on Unsplash

The Church of Ireland and healing

Posted on: /in , /by

If you are interested and curious about what CMHI is, and what it means for us to be a Church of Ireland organisation, then this leaflet, part of a series about Church of Ireland views and beliefs, is a good starting point. It explores the ministry of healing, healing and faith, healing and death, and offers some resources on the topic. Click here to download it to your computer or phone, or click here to view it and the others in the series on the Church of Ireland website. If you have questions, or would like to know more about our healing ministry, then we’d love to hear from you – send us an email by clicking here for our contact details.

Photo by Ante Gudelj on Unsplash

CMH:I and NBSI Mindful Advent online

Posted on: /in , /by

A lunchtime pause to breathe, to be present and to rest in His Presence – facilitated by Lydia from CMHI and Julie from the National Bible Society of Ireland

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 13:00 – Tue, 19 Dec 2023 14:00 GMT

Join us on Tuesday 12th and Tuesday 19th at 1pm for 45 minutes sessions to bring pause, reflection and restoration.

Lydia will open by facilitating a mindfulness practice to help us pause and notice that God is with us.

Julie will lead us in a scriptural Advent reflection. When we deepen our understanding of God who was and is and is to come, our current reality, no matter how fraught or joyful, can rest in His Presence and we can experience Peace that surpasses understanding.

Lydia will finish with a pause to allow the biblical reflection to go a little deeper so that we continue our day sensing our belonging to God, to ourselves, to each other and to the present moment as a gift of grace.

Photo by Max Beck on Unsplash

 

Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland membership

If you would like to apply to be a member of CMHI, please email catherine@ministryofhealing.ie and ask for more information and an application form! The initial term of membership is 5 years, and we are a company limited by guarantee, which protects members in the unlikely event that CMHI would have to be wound up. Once you send in your form, the membership committee will convene and then we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!