PRAYER WALK
Welcome
It’s great to explore new ways to pray. The walk before you is a reflective journey; you will benefit most if you do it alone. A pen and paper may be helpful. Scroll down to begin! If you have children, try this Child and Family Prayer Walk as an age-appropriate way to engage your children in prayer!
how it works
- Begin your journey by looking for a stone with the number "1" on it. Then scroll down this page to Station 1.
- Each station explores a type of prayer, as well as paralleling a journey through the Bible.
- Look down the path as you leave each station for the next numbered marker.
adoration and wonderment
Take a few minutes to wander around the Shepherd’s Garden and observe.
- Look carefully at the leaves, plants, insects and flowers.
- Note the infinite detail of God, the Creator.
- He creates in abundance. Not just one or two leaves - but many.
REFLECT
- Close your eyes and take a deep breath or two.
- What do you hear?
- Open your eyes, what do you see?
(Notice the veins in the leaves, the way the sun and shadow fall. The way the air smells. The way an insect hovers and lands.)
“The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day, they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard." Psalm 39
PRAY
God started his relationship with us in a garden. In that garden were many gifts.
“Then God said, I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it." Genesis 1:29
"Then God put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." Genesis 2:15
- How is God showing you his abundance and love in your life right now?
- Open yourself up to the WOWs, with childlike wonder and joy.
MOVE TO STATION 2
Prayer for Mercy
God has sent us away from the Garden because we did not listen to him.
We find ourselves on a rocky path, alone in the wilderness. We ate the fruit in the Garden; we listened to the tempter, we became slaves to tasks that made us busy and empty.
No matter how we try, we are not able to do as God asks.
- Follow the rock-lined path which forces us to look at the ground. We begin our journey in humility, realizing we cannot do it on our own, we need God.
REFLECT
As you walk, think about your own wilderness and about walking away from it as your feet take you toward God.
PRAY
"Out of the depths, I cry to you, O Lord,
O Lord, hear my voice
Let your ears be attentive
To my cry for mercy.
If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you, there is forgiveness;
therefore, you are feared.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his Word, I put my hope."
Prayer of David, Psalm 130
MOVE TO STATION 3 (at the well)
Prayer of Praise
We find ourselves at a well and are reminded of the baptism of Jesus and of our own baptism.
God was very pleased with Jesus, announcing his relationship to the entire world,
BEFORE Jesus was known.
BEFORE Jesus was tempted in the wilderness.
BEFORE any miracles.
BEFORE he preached.
BEFORE he had followers.
He announced his love through baptism.
BAPTISM
When Jesus came to be baptized, and after John had immersed him in the River Jordan, they heard a voice from the heavens,
”This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”
(Fold back the well cover and then...)
- Dip both of your hands in the water, and look upward as you imagine God saying to you, “This is my beloved child, with whom I am well-pleased.”
(Please put back the well cover)
PRAYER OF JOY
God started his relationship with us in a garden. In that garden were many gifts.
"Shout for joy to the Lord,
all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness;
Come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100
MOVE TO STATION 4 (over the bridge)
Lectio Divina
You are following a path that takes you over a bridge.
- Experience the bridge as the crossing over to a new life in Christ that happened when you were baptized.
- Have a seat on the bench. Make sure you are comfortable. Breathe slowly and deeply.
- Ask God to speak through the Bible passages you are about to read.
First reading of the passage: LISTEN
- As you read the passages below, listen for a word or phrase that attracts you.
"If any man be in Christ,
he is a new creation;
the old has gone,
the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17
"Do not conform any longer
to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed
by the renewal of your mind,
that you will be able to test
and approve what God’s will
is - his good, pleasing and
perfect will." Romans 12:2
- Sit in silence repeating the word or phrase that stands out to you in your head.
- Then say the word or phrase aloud.
Second reading of the passage: PONDER
- Read the passages again, asking why it has connected with you.
- Sit in silence and then frame a single sentence that begins to say aloud what this word or phrase means to you.
Third reading of the passage: PRAY
- As you read the passage for the last time ask what Christ is calling from you.
- What is it that you need to do or consider or relinquish or take on as a result of what God is saying to you in this word or phrase?
- In the silence that follows the reading pray for the grace of the Spirit to plant this word in your heart.
MOVE TO STATION 5
IMAGINATIVE PRAYER
Have a seat at the table.
- Imagine that your companion on the other side of the table is God. Imagine him in the form of the Father, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit.
You are having coffee together.
- Imagine his voice as he asks you how things are going. What are you worried about? What is making you angry? What do you want to happen?
- Tell him honestly how you feel.
"Pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." Psalms 62:8
God wants a two-way private relationship with you. From Adam to Abraham, from David to Paul, God both listened and spoke to his people. He wants the same listening and speaking from you.
Jesus taught that you should make your prayers private, sincere, and specific.
"When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matthew 6:6
MOVE TO STATION 6
PRAYER of commisioning
Now Moses was tending sheep when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire within a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire but it did not burn up. When Moses went to look closer, the Lord called out to him,
“Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
OBSERVE
- Experience what it was like for Moses. Take off your shoes. This is holy ground.
REFLECT
“But Moses said to God,
“Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the
Israelites out of Egypt!” Exodus 3:11
“What if they do not believe me? . . .Oh Lord, I have never been eloquent . . .If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would the Pharaoh listen to me with my faltering lips?
Moses railed against God, full of excuses, chapter after chapter of reasons why he could not do as God asked (within the book of Exodus)
God did not give up on him.
- What is it that God is now telling you to do on this holy ground?
PRAY
"Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends
of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding
no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the
power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired
and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar
on wings like eagles;
they will run and
not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40: 28-31
MOVE TO STATION 7
the lord's prayer
The disciples were curious about Jesus' private prayers.
"And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." Luke 6:12
"And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening came, he was there alone." Matthew 14:23
"And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed…" Mark 1:35,36
- How does it feel to be quiet with God in the woods right now?
So Jesus said to the disciples: "This then, is how you should pray."
- Say aloud the prayer Jesus taught them:
"Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our
daily bread,
Forgive us our sins, as we
forgive those who have
sinned against us
And lead us not
into temptation,
But deliver us from evil."
REFLECT
In what areas of your life do these words above challenge you?
- It’s OUR father, not my father. God is inclusive.
- FATHER, I am a beloved child of God. We are a family, with a loving provider who guides us.
- God is MOST important in my life and he is to be held in awe and reverence.
- GOD’S WILL is more important than my own will and I ask that it happens.
- I must pray DAILY for all of my needs.
- If I cannot FORGIVE others, God will not forgive me.
- God may TEST me and lead me deeper into faith, if I ask for his help.
MOVE TO STATION 8 (Follow the path)
PRayer of FOrgiveness
Jesus told his followers, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
When the astonished disciples asked, “Who then can be saved?” He said, “ With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
OBSERVE
- Look at the narrow space between the trees. Would your most important possessions fit through there?
REFLECT
- What would you take with you if you had just a few seconds to grab something if there was a fire in your house?
- Why is this important to you?
- Are there “treasures” to which you are too attached?
- Ask: Why do I have trouble letting go of things?
PRAY
O Lord, you have searched me
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O Lord.
. . . Search me, O God, and know my heart.
Test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me.
And lead me in the way everlasting.
Prayer of David, Psalm 139
MOVE TO STATION 9
Breath Prayer
Our journey comes to the Cross. As we feel the pain and suffering of Jesus and as we feel our own humanity, only then can we experience what Jesus has done in our lives.
OBSERVE
- Take a moment to find a place to sit.
- Write down a list of the following (only for your eyes) on your phone (it could be an email or text or it could be a note) or use paper and pen. Note: If you are writing on your phone and you lose the prayer walk, go up the stairs to the Memorial Garden where another QR code is posted.
Broken Relationships.
Things that make you feel angry.
Things that make you feel powerless.
Things that you are having trouble overcoming or getting past.
Reasons why you may not like yourself.
Things you have done that you’d like to take back.
Things you should have said or done, but you let the chance pass you by.
Promises you haven’t kept.
Add a line or two to your note about the things that you are doing that you are not aware of because you cannot see fully what Christ sees.
- When your list is complete, go to the cross, look up at it, give thanks and hit the delete button (or rip up your paper list and leave the shreds in the bucket by the cross).
PRAY
In Hebrew, the word “ruach” means both spirit and breath. The ancient practice of breath prayer is a way to remind us that God is as near to us as our every breath.
- Make a breath prayer for yourself right now.
- Choose a name to address God in your prayer: example: Father, Lord, Jesus, Savior.
- Ask God for what you want or need right now in your heart of hearts, acknowledging that he sees you and knows you.
- Pick a short phrase of about six syllables: example: Healer, Make me whole. / Abba, Surround me with love / Lord, Help me to see.
- Read ahead (below) the next steps because your eyes will be closed.
- Get comfortable.
- Close your eyes.
- Notice your breath, in and out.
- Visualize Jesus’ face. Look into his eyes
- Now pray your petition (silently or aloud) as you let your breath in and out.
- Repeat your petition, getting comfortable as your words and your breath become one. Repeat as long as you need to. It can be several minutes or longer.
- When you are finished say, “Thank you, Lord” or “Amen.”
- Slowly open your eyes.
MOVE TO STATION 10 (up the stairs to the Memorial Garden)
pray examen
Christ chose those who were most unlovable and most rejected to speak with, to spend time with, and to whom he gave his most ardent attention.
OBSERVE
- Write on your paper or send a reminder to yourself with the names of three people you can call or see or spend time with this week. If God is calling you to do so, also remember these three, as well as others, in prayer.
PRAY
The Examen (below) is a 5-step form of prayer where you review your day. Morning or evening is usually the best time.
Set a timer for a certain number of minutes and then stop. (20 minutes is suggested). Some days, you may only get to the first step.
The Examen-a Form of Prayer
- Gratitude - Thank God for any gifts, graces, or blessings we have received.
- Petition to the Holy Spirit - Ask the Holy Spirit to open us as we review (below)
- Review - Survey and probe the immediate past hours since the last review, minute by minute, looking for God in our day.
Where was God speaking to me and challenging me?
How was the Spirit inviting me to be more Christlike?
When and in what circumstances was God bestowing graces, gifts, and blessings upon me?
How was the Holy Spirit asking me to be lovingly present in the situation in which I found myself?
How was God asking me to humbly serve the people in front of me? - Forgiveness - Express sorrow and ask forgiveness for still living on autopilot – intended to be a dialogue between God and ourselves in which we encounter a merciful loving God.
- Renewal - Look forward to our upcoming day:
Where might the God of disguise surprise me?
What situation might the Spirit use to mold me ever closer into a little Christ?
How could God possibly use this particular person or this planned meeting to spark my godly enthusiasm into flame?
MOVE TO STATION 11
Meditation
The love of God calls us into community.
As we love each other and lift each other up in our sorrows, we become a community of faith that bridges death.
Our brothers and sisters who have gone before us to our Father in heaven and intercede for us are remembered here - as well as those you may be remembering here in your heart today.
- Take a rock from the bucket and place it on one of the shelves, remembering someone you know who sits with the Father in Heaven.
PRAYER OF MEDITATION
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
- Try to calm all thoughts, close your eyes, and simply breathe. Concentrate on your breath. It may help to pick a single word to repeat.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house there are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." John 14:1-4
MOVE TO STATION 12
Stations of the cross
The Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of the Cross and the Way of Sorrow (Via Crucis in Latin), detail fourteen different moments on the day Jesus died. This prayer pilgrimage is a powerful way to grow closer to Jesus at any time of the year, especially during Lent and Holy Week.
OBSERVE
There are 14 tiles placed in the niches on the metal wall to your right. Each one represents a Station of the Cross. Approach Station I, beginning on the left.
NAME THE STATION
Take a moment to quiet your heart and mind to be present with Christ at this moment.
PRAY
"We adore you oh Christ and we praise you, for by your holy cross you have redeemed the world." St. Alphonsus de Liguori
MEDITATE
Spend some time contemplating this station. Read the text. You may bow your head, look at the image of the station, and close your eyes and imagine being in the moment with Christ.
PRAY
Close your time at each station with a prayer. Focus on speaking honestly with God.
REPEAT
Continue through the stations in this manner.
Go in Peace. Serve the Lord.