welcoming prayer

Welcoming prayer is one of several different types of contemplative prayer practices. It focuses on intentionally accepting–welcoming–your experiences and turning them over to God. Let’s dive into this contentment-building practice and see what it’s all about!

What is welcoming prayer?

Some contemplative prayer practices have been around a really long time, but welcoming prayer began with Mary Mrozowski in the 1980s. She was one of the founders of Contemplative Outreach, an organized network of people and faith communities devoted to contemplative prayer practices. It’s an international and interdenominational organization. Abandonment to Divine Providence by Jean-Pierre de Caussade inspired her development of this particular practice. The premise of his book is the idea of abandoning yourself entirely to God through embracing your life circumstances. Mary crafted a method of welcoming God’s presence and movement in our responses to stress and difficulties. The idea is to recognize and accept our thoughts and feelings and value them as opportunities for God’s work. We let go of our need to control.

When we face stressful situations, it’s not unusual for us to avoid the difficulties. Or maybe we beat ourselves up with negative self-talk. We can be brutal! Perhaps facing our thoughts and feelings, naming them, accepting them, and letting them go in a prayerful mindset will help us begin walking a healing pathway. All of this is the foundation for welcoming prayer. Even if what we’re dealing with is everyday stress and not something monumental, this reflective practice can help us reset.

How does it work?

Find a comfortable seat in a place free of distractions and set a timer. Sometimes you may only have a few minutes; other times you may want to continue for twenty minutes or so. When starting out, be patient with yourself. Give yourself grace to gradually increase your time to the desired amount. As you develop your practice, longer time periods will pass more easily. The important thing is not to rush yourself.

Spend some time acknowledging and naming your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. What is on your mind? What is worrying you? Are there particular difficulties you’re facing? How does that make you feel? Recognize anxiety, fatigue, fear of failure, or whatever you’re experiencing. Sit in this moment with your emotions.

Register God’s presence in the moment. You might specifically pray, “God, I know you’re here with me in this anxiety.” In this fear. In this loss. Whatever has drawn your attention. Intentionally welcome your thoughts and feelings as you welcome God’s presence alongside you.

Consciously let go of the issues that arise. It might help to speak it out loud. I release my expectations in this relationship, I relinquish my need to control the outcome in this situation, or I let go of my desire for approval. Take several deep breaths as you slowly release your concerns to God. Rest in the knowledge that God can carry your burdens.

In a nutshell, welcoming prayer consists of three parts: welcoming your feelings, welcoming God’s presence in those feelings, and releasing them. By welcoming rather than resisting difficult emotions, it reduces their power and fosters peace. With practice, welcoming prayer can cultivate trust and acceptance.

All of this makes me think of the Bible passage about Mary and Martha.

While Jesus and his disciples were traveling, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his message. By contrast, Martha was preoccupied with getting everything ready for their meal. So Martha came to him and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to prepare the table all by myself? Tell her to help me.”

The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things. One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part. It won’t be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38–42

I have always been more of a Martha. It’s easy for me to keep my focus on what needs to be done. I would like to develop the habit of noticing when I’m falling into that trap, welcoming and accepting my feelings, and thinking about what’s most important to me in that moment. Welcome my feelings. Acknowledge them. And then turn them over to God.

Notice that Jesus didn’t say that what Martha was doing was wrong. Rather, he said that Mary’s choice was better. Martha did, however, struggle with accepting Mary’s choice. Perhaps, in situations like these, we can stop, take a deep breath, and run through a brief welcoming prayer. This allows time to process the emotions, let go of any resentment, and mentally reset. Shift our focus to what our deeper purpose is. We need people like both Mary and Martha to get things done and experience life to the fullest. We can learn a lot from each other.

Where do we go from here?

Many people use welcoming prayer as a part of their end-of-the-day ritual. They reflect on their experiences throughout the day and let them go as they prepare for sleep. That approach doesn’t work for everyone, so find a time and schedule that make sense for you. Perhaps starting with a weekly rhythm works well. Maybe this is something you’d like to keep in your back pocket and use in times when you notice negative self-talk.

Welcoming prayer resources

• Check out the information available through Contemplative Outreach. You’ll find discussions, events, FAQ sheets, videos, outreach programs, and more.
• The United Methodist Church has wonderful contemplative prayer resources, including a discussion of welcoming prayer.

Since welcoming prayer is about noticing, accepting, and releasing emotions in God’s presence, a script or prompts could guide you through the process gently and intentionally.

Welcoming prayer session guide

1. Opening invitation

• Take a deep breath in, and slowly exhale. Do this several times.
• Become aware of God’s loving presence surrounding you.
• Rest in this moment, just as you are.
• Gently invite God to be with you in whatever you are feeling today.

2. Noticing and naming

• What emotions or sensations are present in your body?
• Is there tension, restlessness, peace, or stillness?
• Without judgment, name what you are experiencing: frustration, joy, sadness, anxiety, gratitude, etc.
• You do not have to fix or change anything—just notice.

3. Welcoming and accepting

• Whisper or think the words: “Welcome, [emotion].”
• Welcome this feeling as a part of your human experience.
• Trust that God is with you in this feeling.
• Let go of resistance or the need to control—just be present.

4. Releasing and surrendering

• When you are ready, gently release this feeling to God.
• Pray: “God, I give this to you. I trust that you are with me.”
• Imagine placing this emotion in God’s hands, knowing you are not alone.
• Rest in stillness for a moment, allowing God’s peace to fill the space.

5. Closing reflection and gratitude

• Take a final deep breath in and exhale slowly.
• Notice if anything has shifted within you.
• Thank God for being present in every part of your life.
• Carry this peace with you into the rest of your day.

I would love to hear what you think about welcoming prayer. Will you try it?

Like all contemplative practices, you can tweak the process to whatever is best for you. The steps are flexible. The main ideas behind welcoming prayer are to accept your situation, invite God’s work in it, and release control. What would that look like for you?

If you’re interested in other contemplative prayer practices, you might want to read about lectio divina, visio divina, prayer beads, imaginative contemplation, centering prayer, the examen, or breath prayers.

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Fondly,

Crysti