The Sacred Space web site is published by the Irish Jesuits to
facilitate daily prayer on line. The site is published in
nineteen languages, including English, Gaelic, Spanish, Japanese,
Lithuanian, Portuguese, Korean, Latvian, Czech, Chinese, and Russian –
a formidable task when you realise that the content changes daily.
The purpose of the site is to invite people to take a few minutes out
of their busy day to pray. The pages are set up in such a way to
help the user to relax and place himself in God’s presence, to
temporarily slow his day and his thinking down, to remember that God is
near, even in the midst of work. If required, a prayer guide is
provided to assist in focusing on the moment. The user is invited
to enter into reflection on the day, his feelings and thoughts at the
moment – to discover where he is really at in that instant.
One of the day’s Mass readings is then presented, with the suggestion
that the user read the passage slowly and carefully, pausing to reflect
on anything that catches his attention. The reader is admonished
to listen, to try and discern what God is saying. A link called
“need inspiration?” is provided to help the reader.
The reading completed, the user is now invited to enter into a quiet
discussion with Jesus, imagining that they are sitting next to each
other. This discussion ends with the short prayer, “Glory be”.
When the user clicks on “amen” to end the meditation, the hit counter
gives some idea of how often the site is visited. Reading the
feedback of others also provides some insight as to how the site is
used to provide an oasis of peace in otherwise hectic days.
In addition to the daily readings and prayers, on-line retreats are
occasionally offered, as well as opportunities to pray with the Pope
and for causes such as peace and an end to poverty. The site is definitely Catholic, although
it would be enjoyed by any Christian who is comfortable with the
Catholic approach to prayer and meditation. All readings are
taken from the Old and New Testaments.