Prayer as Shared Breath
Tegel, November 1943
Context
By November 1943, Bonhoeffer has settled into a disciplined rhythm at Tegel and begins sending his first uncensored lines to Eberhard Bethge. In this period he composes prayers for fellow prisoners — morning, evening, and in particular need — so a scattered community can share a common breath before God amid heavy air raids over Berlin. The witness here is practical and portable.
Opening reflection
When words run out, borrowed prayer keeps us breathing together.
Commentary
Crisis shrinks our vocabulary. Under strain we either go silent or repeat a few worn phrases. Bonhoeffer’s prison prayers give the community a larger grammar: morning, evening, “particular need.” They are portable — short enough to memorize, strong enough to lean on. They sound like the Psalms: direct, honest, never pretending the cell isn’t there, yet never conceding that the cell is ultimate. And they are emphatically for others. The “I” in these prayers is never isolated — it keeps opening into “we” and “they.” That matters. When prayer bends outward, it becomes shared breath: we breathe for one another when someone can’t catch theirs. If spontaneity fails you, these prayers are a gift. You don’t have to invent something spiritual — you can receive words and speak them back to God. That isn’t a concession; it’s a discipline that forms courage over time. In a place designed to fragment people, Bonhoeffer scripts a small act of communion every day.
Primary readings
- Prayers for Prisoners — Morning Prayer
- Prayers for Prisoners — Evening Prayer
- Prayers for Prisoners — Prayer in Particular Need
- To Eberhard Bethge, 21 Nov 1943
Head • Heart • Hands
Head
- How do the pronouns in the prayers move from “I” to “we/they”?
- What makes these prayers portable when spontaneity fails?
Heart
- Choose one line to carry as a daily collect. What pulls you to it?
- Where do these prayers make space for both truth‑telling and trust?
Hands (choose 1 Baseline + 1 Stretch)
Baselines
- Two‑Minute Offices for 7 days — Morning: one Psalm verse + the opening of Morning Prayer. Evening: one intercession from Evening Prayer + one breath of silence.
- Intercession Ring — pick three names; pray one sentence for each daily; tell each person once.
Stretches
- Borrowed Prayer, Shared — pray “Particular Need” aloud with someone this week.
- No‑Phone Before Prayer — for 7 days, no phone until after your morning office.
Commitment Card — Session 2
- My Baseline: ☐ Two‑Minute Offices ☐ Intercession Ring
- My Stretch: ☐ Borrowed Prayer, Shared ☐ No‑Phone Before Prayer
- Names: __________ / __________ / __________
- Date & time start: _______________________
- Partner: __________ • Check‑in: ______
- Notes: __________________________________ ☐ Reminder set
Baseline templates — Session 2
Two‑Minute Offices — card Morning — Psalm line: ______________________ Prayer line: “O God, early in the morning I cry to you …” (or your chosen line) Evening — Intercession: “For those who …” (choose one) One breath of silence.