I've been reading a book by Ken Segall about the culture at Apple under the direction of Steve Jobs. The book's title says it all: "Insanely Simple." This singular rule regarding the centrality of simplicity was the key to each decision Steve Jobs made when designing products or mapping strategy about the advertising of new products. (He famously kept sending the iPhone back to the designers with the edict: "one button" and nothing more.)
Steve Jobs understood that we just can't handle too much complexity. He understood that we need the deep value of complexity, but that accessibility needs to be simple in order to be utilized. (What Oliver Wendell Holmes called "simplicity on the other side of complexity.")
This, of course, is my attraction to bringing simplicity to prayer.
One Tender Breath.
One Tender Touch.
One Tender Word.
Slow, calm, rhythmic breathing.
Quiet, gentle touch (hand over hand or hand on forehead or hand on side of head or hands in lap).
One word mantra.
Dropping below thought and concept. Dropping deeper than our overly developed minds.
This past weekend I had the huge privilege of spending several days with 38 Jesuit Volunteers - young adults who have given this past year after college working with those struggling with poverty. Deeply committed, these JVC's carry such promise for our shared future. My only goal was to offer a pathway to spiritual practice that was accessible and simple.
One Tender Breath.
One Tender Touch.
One Tender Word.
To this end I made the suggestion that they begin each period of daily prayer or meditation with a simple prayer designed to touch into the nooks and crannies of their lives, allowing Spirit access through their permission to be Held in ways deeper than typical asking.
I offer above, for your consideration, this simple prayer.
