Walking the Church Year: Personal Devotions for a Labyrinth Prayer Practice

A guide to individual worship using labyrinths for centering prayer and contemplation

For centuries, labyrinths have served as an essential meditation aid for Christians seeking to deepen their personal relationships with God, the serpentine paths mirroring the journey each traveler undertakes. Nevertheless, many Christians have yet to integrate labyrinths into their regular spiritual practice. Fortunately, author Robert Elsner has unraveled the mysteries of the labyrinth, laying out a clear roadmap to a regular meditative practice, whether you walk the blue marble of Chartres or the grass of your own backyard.

Following the liturgical calendar, Walking the Church Year provides personal devotions for Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter, Pentecost, and Ordinary Time, as well as Holy Days and walks for special occasions. Each entry offers scripture to contemplate prior to entry, a prayer or mantra for use within the labyrinth, a prayer for processing from the labyrinth, a reflection on the occasion, and questions to inspire further thought. Helpful suggestions for alternate labyrinth forms ensure that these meditations can be practiced by faithful of all physical abilities.