You may have asked yourself this many times and of course there are many possible answers – asking God for things; seeking a blessing or forgiveness; or offering thanks. The question of ‘What is prayer?’ is rarely asked and, if we’re honest, most of us struggle to answer this!
Recently I was intrigued by this reflection by Thomas Merton, a Cistercian monk, who wrote in 2011, “The birds are my prayer”. It really grabbed my attention.
What an intriguing thing to write, not least because he was a monk who was used to the daily pattern of monastic prayer, praying the psalms, praying the scriptures, interceding for the world, within the Daily Office of monastic life. But here he was saying: ‘The birds are my prayer’.
What could he possibly mean? I was so intrigued that I carried this question in my mind as I headed out for my daily walk. I find that walking with a question, gently holding it, can often be instructive.
The purpose of this walk was to see the terns, newly arrived on UK shores. Part of this colony consists of sandwich terns. These swift fliers can live to be 20 years old or more; they travel in excess of 4000 km to winter roosts, and, sadly, they are now amber listed due to significant decline in the last 15 years.
The other major migrant to have arrived was the arctic tern – a noisy bird but so incredibly graceful in flight. Amazingly it has the longest migration of any bird (70,000-90,000 km) from winter in the Arctic to summer in the Antarctic. These birds may live to be 30 years old or more. It too is amber listed.
Merton gives no clue as to which birds were his prayer, or whether he meant all birds were his prayer! Birds are referenced in the Bible – from the small sparrow to the majestic eagle – typically speaking to us about God’s care of us rather than linked particularly with prayer.
So what on earth was Merton hinting at when he wrote this? Many would have seen him as a monk being an expert on liturgical prayer and assumed that this was the only way of praying, but it would seem not, given what he wrote.
Historically the Cistercians have been very connected to their landscapes, often choosing inhospitable locations, where making a living would be hard work. They were often isolated, away from other villages, as they did not want to take land or work away from local people. The Cistercians were, and still are, a very silent monastic order. This can heighten the senses to be more aware of surroundings: and certainly in the countryside, in remote locations, there may have been a greater awareness of the flora and fauna around the monastery.
Prayer requires us to be attentive. Just as birds rise on the thermals and become one with that movement, so we are invited through prayer to rise and experience more of what it means to be one with God. As Merton went on to say: ‘For God is all in all.’ Here is my reflection from that day.
The birds are my prayer …
These long-distance travellers
Navigating by moon, wind and tide
Living in daylight more than darkness
Whose flight is described as graceful
Appear briefly to breed on these shores
Their short, stubby red legs make for ungainly walking
As they seek their nest sites close to each other
A simple scrape on the stony shingle
In which to lay one egg, or may be two.
This is the advanced party; more will join them in the coming days.
They mate for life, a faithful pairing, a life-long commitment.
Despite the beauty, grace, and faith or maybe because of these things,
The predators are never far away.
The electric fence keeps the terns safe from animals that can’t swim
But not from their arch-enemy, the greater black-backed gull.
This fearsome bird now scans the colony seeking a youngster or an egg.
The birds rise in unison with the sandwich terns and the black-headed gulls
Together they rise, fly forward and then turn as one giant swathe of birds
To fly back over the colony,
Hiding anything left on the ground and disorientating the great bird
Who is now confused by the sheer volume and flow of movement.
The sound of the wind in their wings as they move in unison
Is truly awesome – simultaneously gentle and powerful;
the wind gives them lift and together they find new direction.
As for prayer – it too seeks the light
And may travel vast distances in its quest for grace, faith and light.
These birds remind us that we do not pray alone
We are part of a great company of saints and angels who pray
In the furthest, far-flung places of our world.
We are part of a world-wide community that prays:
Prays for light in the darkest of places;
Prays for grace where there is hatred and conflict;
Prays for faith to deepen, that each one of us may
Live within the love of God who covenants to love, guide and protect us
Through the whole of our lives.
The birds are indeed my prayer – my silent prayer
The rise of faith like the wind through the wings,
To be as one with the invisible Spirit that is Holy.
And for you, what is your prayer?
