Sabbath was formerly ordered as a day free from labor, with the original
penalty being to be put to death, now it is to be used as a day of instruction,
rest, meditation and useful service to the neighbor. (True Christian Religion
301)
Prayer is communication with the Lord, and spending time in conscious
prayer is another way of giving our time to the Lord. Praying is talking to the
Lord with an inner perspective of what is being prayed for, so that the person’s
mind is focused on spiritual and heavenly things. The Lord responds to prayer
with influx into the mind, opening our minds toward Him and enlightening
us. (Arcana Coelestia 2535) Emanuel Swedenborg personally experienced this:
As often as I have recited the Lord’s Prayer I have had the plain feeling of being
raised toward the Lord, as though I was being hauled up. At these times my ideas
were open and communication with some communities in heaven was consequently
established. (Ibid. 6476)
Even though a person can also be in a perpetual state of prayer with the
Lord, setting aside time to focus on prayer is recommended (Ibid. 1618), as
many will have a hard time attaining that state of perpetual prayer while in
this world.
4. Touch
While touch is a very powerful love language within the marriage relationship,
the ability to use touch to express affection has to fall within appropriate
boundaries, particularly in professional relationships.
While the Lord was alive on earth, He touched little children (Matthew
19:13-15), and healed through touch. (Luke 8:45) It is difficult to imagine
literally touching the Lord today. Touch implies interaction with a physical
body, which the Lord does not have (True Christian Religion 793), so we must
consider the spiritual equivalent for touch. Touch corresponds to receiving the
Divine of the Lord through communication and reception (Arcana Coelestia
10130), which is indeed possible today. Opening ourselves to influx from Him
is possible by taking what we have learned and putting it into action. (Ibid.
8439).
As a representative act, we can partake of the sacrament of the Holy
Supper, which, while an external practice, has as its internal reality the act
of joining us to heaven (Ibid. 4211), and is therefore an act of conjunction in
ultimates. During Holy Supper we are in the Lord and the Lord is in us if we
approach Holy Supper worthily. (True Christian Religion 725)
To be worthy the person must be in a state of the good of love to the Lord
and of faith in Him. (New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine 213) The bread,
which represents the Lord’s body, corresponds with the good of love from the
Lord to the whole of the human race and with our love to the Lord, which
495