102 Do these words mean anything to you? They are unusual and maybe also difficult to understand. But a lot of people have taken to pausing in our troubled time. They say that they need this and call it meditating. You have probably asked yourself the whole time what religion or confession I belong to. I say to you quite openly: None at all! I have been undenominational for a long time, because my inner attitude has changed in the interim, yes, and I am not into pretending. But I believe with all my heart that this is true. I believe in my own way. Everyone has the right to believe and to talk to God - or not - in their own way. I am used to talking to God. I talk to him as the highest of the highest, but also as my friend who knows me better than I know myself. I address him as Father, something I copied from Jesus. Everybody is entitled to do so, whether they pay their church taxes or not: We can quiescently address the highest power in the universe as Father. I also call my talking to God “dialogue”, even though, like you, I seldom perceive an answer. My conversation is less of a pleading, but simply making contact, establishing a connection upwards. It is usually quite easy, but it does at times get more difficult because all the mundane, everyday thought are so intrusive. I tell him about what goes on inside of me, about my experiences, what presently occupies my mind, my thoughts and also about my little problems. Or I simply sit still. Dear reader, don’t feel bad if you are not used to praying! You might do something different? It could be that you stand still and look at a sunset or a butterfly or the funny root of a tree. You might observe how the Moon inexorably rises in the evening sky. A feeling stirs inside of you. You might feel adoration for what you see. You take your mobile out of your pocket because you would like to record this moment. Isn’t what you feel inside like a prayer, one without words? At this point, I would like to tell you a story that I read some time ago: An elderly lady goes to her pastor and says to him: “Pastor, I have been praying twice a day for the last 13 years, but I have never had the feeling that God is anywhere near me.” The pastor looks out the window for a while. He then asks: “Can you knit?” - “Yes, I can.” - “Well then, simply sit there and knit away! And whilst you do this, imagine that God looks down on you.
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