Category Archives: Desert Wisdom

If you have been to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, you will be able to connect with today’s post.  As you stand there, you can detect a kind of murmuring–a whispering of prayer. The early Christians usually prayed like that—in … Continue reading →

In praying prayers to be converted, the early Christians found it natural to pray to Jesus.  Some even today still find this bothersome, wondering if we should pray to him, or simply say, “Dear God.” Bunge explores this practice and … Continue reading →

Last week, we noted that the early Christians prayed briefly and simply, lest they fell into the trap of thinking that the genuineness of their prayers was based on the “word count” of them. But Bunge quickly notes (pp. 117ff) … Continue reading →

Saint Augustine wrote that the early Christians believed prayers are to be “extremely short and hurled like spears.”  Bunge explores this on pp 113-120. Many of these prayers were Scripture verses—e.g. “I will fear no evil, for you are at … Continue reading →

Buge brings this section of his book (pp 105-112) to an end by reminding us that prayer is a life, not merely a time. Clement of Alexandria wrote that the true Christian is one whose “whole life is a prayer” … Continue reading →

The early Christians understood there is no one-size-fits-all prayer pattern. The time, location, and form of our prayer arises in relation to the circumstances of our life.  Bunge writes about this on pp 110-112. Fixed times of prayer arise from … Continue reading →

If our call is to “pray without ceasing” (always and everywhere), it may seem odd or antithetical to speak of any technique.  But the early Christians realized that there was a connection between Mystery and method; that the two do … Continue reading →