Nine ways of Prayer
Grace Outpoured – An interpretation of St Dominic’s Nine Ways of Prayer
Sheila Flynn OP
Dominic engaged his whole body in creative gestures of praise and worship, both to express his whole being before God in prayer, as well as for traversing the lands of Spain, France and Italy through his itinerancy of holy preaching. He spent his nights with God, his days with his companions. He was easily moved with deep compassion by the need of others along the way and in prayer poured out his heart to God on their behalf. Sometimes noisily! They say he sometimes roared!
The Nine Ways of Prayer are the visual model of prayer in Dominic’s rhythm of life, his lively relationship with God, witnessed vicariously by his own brethren.
Dominic used his body in so many diverse ways to deepen his conscious awareness of the profligacy of God’s love and tender mercy making the whole creative world. The Nine Ways are the living testament of Dominic’s way of being, not so much doing, the gestures mirroring his heart’s attitude to God’s presence.
Excerpts posted with permission
