Statio: The Time Between the Times
By Rachel Gulleson
This past year, in conjunction with my internship at BCC, I took a class at Regent College called Supervised Ministry. The focus was on prayer, and we learned about different practices and incorporated them into our daily rhythms. Many of the practices were familiar to me from things we do at BCC, including the examen and lectio divina, but we touched on one that I was unfamiliar with but that has become very meaningful for me. It is a practice called statio, from the monastic tradition of pausing before entering into chapel for prayer. Simply put, statio is a Latin word meaning “station” or “position,” but in this case refers to a momentary pause to pray in between activities. This would mean, for monks and nuns, a pause to pray and prepare themselves before stepping into worship. In our modern, busy lives, it can simply be a moment to stop and acknowledge God’s presence before moving into our next activity.
The practice can be very simple, just a quick pause as you finish one activity and move into another. It is not meant to replace longer periods of prayer, but rather to increase your awareness of God as you move about your day. It could be a moment between meetings, the pause in your car before you step inside your house, or after being at work all day. Or perhaps a brief moment after you put your kids to bed and move into your evening. There are many ways to practice statio, but I found the STOP acronym to be helpful:
S—stop what you’re doing
T—take a deep breath
O—observe your thoughts and feelings
P—pray before your next activity
While this practice can take just a minute or two, it can be a way to slow our pace and be fully present. It is a way to intentionally cultivate an awareness of God in the everyday moments of our lives, whether we’re doing dishes or putting on our shoes before we step outside. I have found that this practice has helped me find an inner calm when the day is chaotic. It has also been helpful in combination with other prayer practices–particularly the examen, a longer practice often used at the end of the day to reflect on the ways we have been aware of God’s presence. If I have been practicing occasional moments of statio, I find I am much more aware of how God has been at work in my life throughout the day.
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