A contemporary tool for prayer
As a tool for spiritual formation, the labyrinth allows us to offer up to God the reality of our lives, trusting in God's immense love and grace. Not only our 21st century world but also the very life of Christian faith is a labyrinth—full of unexpected turns and twists requiring us to step forward in faith, confident that Christ— our Way, our Truth and our Life— is at the center of the very universe and at the heart of our life in God. As we prayerfully seek Christ's guidance in the symbolic walking of a circuitous canvas path, we may be offered a chance to truly lay our hearts open before God, who is the searcher of our hearts.
Walking the labyrinth can be a time of simply opening one's self to the presence of God, without any particular "agenda" in mind, or it may be part of an ongoing discernment process which clarity for a particular question or concern is sought.
One can also "know" things while meditavely walking the circuitous path of a labyrinth, which can't be known sitting still. The very action of walking serves to still thoughts, allowing space for God amid the usually jam-packed confines of one's mind. The rhythm of walking is conducive to prayerful contemplation. The unpredictability of the labyrinth's twists and turns helps us to relinquish the need to feel in control and to acknowledge our dependence upon God. The certainty of reaching the center inspires us to trust in God's providence. All of these things can serve to draw us into the geniune experience of prayer—of allowing our hearts to lay"open before God."
