Hour of Prayer

“To hold…eternity in an hour” ~ William Blake

The thousand and one distractions of daily life nag at us incessantly, scarcely allowing so much as a quiet moment for tranquil reflection and the prayerful communion with God that only unfolds in such peaceful interludes.

Nothing is so elusive as time. To capture even an hour is a precious gift. As the poet reminds us, an hour spent in mediation provides a glimpse of eternity. We look to The Garden of Prayer for such sweet repose, and in The Hour of Prayer, third in this devout series, I believe we find it.

A brilliant sun pours down into the sylvan glade that shelters the sundial; the passage of its shadow across the dial marks the breathless hour of prayer. A lively brook murmurs nature’s prayer into the silence as it nurtures a graceful willow tree, whose overhanging branches suggest the comforting embrace of God.

The Hour of Prayer anticipates the dawning of a Peaceful Kingdom, which I believe is near at hand, when time will be no more and prayer will be a direct communion with the divine. Until then, we must content ourselves with such glimpses of immortality as can be found in The Garden of Prayer, which exists in the hearts of the faithful.