Breath and Prayer

​A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, July 23rd, 2023:
The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Romans
8.26-27

Brothers and sisters: The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.

And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

​Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Am I doing it right? It’s true, what Paul says – I don’t know how to pray as I ought. Sometimes I don’t even know how to breathe as I ought. For a recovering perfectionist, these things are hard to admit, especially since my perception is that both of these things should be as natural as trees breaking into blossom in the springtime.

Breath and prayer, prayer and breath. 

Breath and prayer. 

Prayer and breath.

They’re both gifts from God. 

God gave me my first breath, and He knows when I will take my last. He even regulates my breathing while I live in Him. But I know that to fully live in Him, I must pray. Prayer, in this sense, is a discipline, an act of the will. But there are times when I don’t have the will to pray. Thankfully, sometimes prayer is also received – as a grace. In these moments, when I am not being intentional about spending time with God, this prayer is a gift – a gift from His interceding Spirit. 

Breath is also a gift and a discipline. The breath God gives is not simply offered so that I can regulate my ventilating system or control my central nervous system functions. Emotions and experiences can derail the rhythm of this breath. It adjusts in response to “various circadian, cognitive, and emotional brain states, and at the same time itself plays a major role in centrally affecting emotions, arousal, and other brain states.” (The Integrative Role of the Sigh in Psychology, Physiology, Pathology, and Neurobiology) 

Sigh.

No. God gives me breath with “sighs too deep for words.” And maybe this is the way I ought to respond to Him: when I don’t know what to pray, I can sigh.

This reading, from God’s lips to my heart, has left me pondering whether breath and prayer are very natural to me at all. In this very moment, I find myself forcing sighs to ensure breathing is still happening. Have you ever noticed yourself holding your breath? It’s often accompanied by shoulders growing out of our ears. This is where I find myself. And so I sigh.

We can choose a sigh, or it can be given, just as breath and prayer. Involuntary sighs can result from not-so-happy emotions, such as boredom or frustration, but an intentional sigh can actually reduce stress, induce positive emotions, and make us feel a bit better (The Positive Power of a Good Sigh). 

When the Spirit sighs in intercession, He intentionally bestows grace on me. I receive it involuntarily at times when I didn’t try to breathe, nor did I try to pray, yet His grace is ever present in my life as He intentionally breathes for me, leaving me with a sense of uncommon peace. He prays for me, guiding my footsteps in this life. In this way, God offers me a most complete co-regulation strategy. I can know, even when my body and spirit feel disregulated, that the Spirit intercedes, knows my heart, and draws a long, deep sigh of respite on my behalf. 

Breathe in: Jesus, fill me with Your grace.
Breathe out: I leave everything in Your hands.

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Lori MacDonald

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