Tap.. Tap.. Tap..

JMJC

I tend to cycle through various eccentric, eclectic, and possibly even singular religious devotions (all intentionally well within Catholic teaching), and these often find expression in my particularly physical spirituality. The most recent example of this is my particular three taps to the chest. Such a motion is common to a Catholic – bringing the hand to the chest three times inspired mostly by the penitent sinner in Christ’s tale.

My recent form of taps are as follows, and I find it a beautiful and powerful reflection.

• [Tap] “Please forgive me, Lord.”
• [Tap] “Please help me, Lord.”
• [Tap] “Thank you, Lord, for your mercy and grace.”

I often repeat this genuflecting in Church with the holy water or entering and exiting the pew. I also  complete this meditation with the traditional hand style of index finger, middle finger, and thumb to chest (representing Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and ring finger and little finger to palm (representing Christ’s divine and human natures).

The balance of dependence on God and gratitude to God along with recognition of his generous abundance and the mystery of his being seem to surrender and align self to God’s reality.

…

If you receive any grace from this practice, this would be beautiful gift to my soul.

Perhaps though, and more importantly, let it be an encouragement to find God where he reveals himself to you (within Catholic teaching, of course). A famous saying goes, “Pray as you can, not as you can’t.” If you find God meditating upon a certain spontaneous prayer, do not worry that it is not published dozens of times over in the local Catholic bookstore or popularized by a Doctor of the Church. Discern, reason, and by all means ask your priest for confirmation when in doubt of a personal devotion – and also pursue God by any moral means possible.