How do prayer and meditation affect our brains?
Jesus, and St. Paul after him, urge faithful believers to
turn their attention frequently to God, trying their best to see as God sees, to
free themselves of anxiety as they rest in the arms of their Creator. Whatever
is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is
lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is
anything worthy of praise, think about these things, Paul tells the
Philippians.
One might read these lines as an invitation to meditation: to place oneself in the presence of God and
to ponder the good and the beautiful, through scripture or nature
or music… When we do so, scientists tell
us, there are actually measurable differences in our cognitive functioning! For a fascinating video explaining how meditation
and prayer affect the brain, click here.
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