Seven Days with The Drifting Prayer
In the year 891, three Irishmen set out to sea in a small boat with no oars. They wished to be pilgrims for the love of God, they said, and they cared not where. The Drifting Prayer borrows their trust for the ordinary hours of a modern day: a lunch break, the walk home, a waiting room, a free afternoon.
It asks for no quiet room and no special state of mind. You keep your eyes open and stay in the waking world. You simply stop steering it for a while.
These seven days offer one way into the practice. Each day brings a short story from the Celtic and Franciscan traditions, a brief reflection, an invitation for the day, and a single question to carry with you. Each takes about two minutes to read. The practice itself takes as long as your boat: twenty minutes, thirty, whatever the day allows.
Begin with Day 1 whenever you are ready. If you are new to the prayer, you may like to read The Drifting Prayer first.
The Seven Days
- Day 1: The Boat Without Oars
- Day 2: Choosing Your Coracle
- Day 3: Shipping the Oars
- Day 4: Following the Draw
- Day 5: When Something Finds You
- Day 6: Reaching for the Oars
- Day 7: Coming Ashore
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Reflections Copyright 2026 Michael J. Cunningham OFS