The Second Reading in the Office of Readings for this day is from a homily of Saint John Chrysostom, and it completely defines what prayer is, which is essential to know for us to meditate on our private prayers like the Rosary and other devotions, and to the public prayers like the Mass, and the Liturgy of the Hours.
Prayer is the light of the spirit:
Prayer and converse with God is a supreme good: it is a partnership and union with God. As the eyes of the body are enlightened when they see light, so our spirit, when it is intent on God, is illumined by his infinite light. I do not mean the prayer of outward observance but prayer from the heart, not confined to fixed times or periods but continuous throughout the day and night.
Our spirit should be quick to reach out toward God, not only when it is engaged in meditation; at other times also, when it is carrying out its duties, caring for the needy, performing works of charity, giving generously in the service of others, our spirit should long for God and call him to mind, so that these works may be seasoned with the salt of God’s love, and so make a palatable offering to the Lord of the universe. Throughout the whole of our lives we may enjoy the benefit that comes from prayer if we devote a great deal of time to it.
Prayer is the light of the spirit, true knowledge of God, mediating between God and man. The spirit, raised up to heaven by prayer, clings to God with the utmost tenderness; like a child crying tearfully for its mother, it craves the milk that God provides. It seeks the satisfaction of its own desires, and receives gifts outweighing the whole world of nature.
Prayer stands before God as an honored ambassador. It gives joy to the spirit, peace to the heart. I speak of prayer, not words. It is the longing for God, love too deep for words, a gift not given by man but by God’s grace. The apostle Paul says: We do not know how we are to pray but the Spirit himself pleads for us with inexpressible longings.
When the Lord gives this kind of prayer to a man, he gives him riches that cannot be taken away, heavenly food that satisfies the spirit. One who tastes this food is set on fire with an eternal longing for the Lord: his spirit burns as in a fire of utmost intensity.
Practice prayer from the beginning. Paint your house with the colors of modesty and humility. Make it radiant with the light of justice. Decorate it with the finest gold leaf of good deeds. Adorn it with the walls and stones of faith and generosity. Crown it with the pinnacle of prayer. In this way you will make it a perfect dwelling place for the Lord. You will be able to receive him as in a splendid palace, and through his grace you will already possess him, his image enthroned in the temple of your spirit.
——
It tells us what prayer really is and can do to the spirit! Only with prayer life that we can have a relationship with God. First, I think we can say that it is from the heart if it is not forcing yourself, and flows naturally, as in you’re not bored, or lacking words to say to God, and you find the meaning of prayers within you. I personally learned how to pray through the Divine Office. When I was a child in the Catholic class, it’s said that a prayer must contain ACTS: Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, Supplication. Being not prayerful before, I thought this was too hard to do, and it’s even irritating to remember the acronyms. Now with the Liturgy of the Hours, I don’t even have to recall this as I find myself that I say these things to God spontaneously (like an inspiration from praying each day the Liturgy of the Hours) during my private or personal prayer, as I’m already praying from my heart.
You can say that you have a prayer life if you feel that God is with you, sensing His presence when you pray, which again, I’ve developed by praying the Liturgy of the Hours.
We must practice Meditation like the saints did when they began theirs (as they reached the mystical prayer stage in ecstasy later on, but for starters who are us, it’s important to begin with Meditation) for us to have a prayer life. And by Meditation, it’s not the yoga or practices like that, which are occultism and used for psychic abilities! When you do Meditation, you feel your vocal prayers is not just coming out as blabbing but there’s the deep, intimate, connection with God.
You can say that you’re doing Meditation properly when the Holy Spirit touches both your mind (by getting inspirations) and your heart (by getting consolations).
We must remember that Prayer is our dialogue God. Because we are not angels with beatific visions, while we are alive here in the world, we would never see God, and God would never talk with us verbally. So for those who claim God talks with them literally, unless they are visionaries like the children in Our Lady of Fatima, those are just evil spirits deceiving them. God would only speak to us and answer our prayers by inpirations and consolations. We feel ‘one’ with Him when we pray.
Then we voice or say to God our reflections, that’s why it is Prayer, as in talking with God.. Like ‘God, why is this virtue that I read from the Liturgy of the Hours good in your eyes?’, or ‘God, what are you trying to tell me with these verses from the Gospel?’, ‘God what do you want me to do with these I’ve learned from the Readings?’. And you also tell God about your life, ‘God, I think I’ve been weak in trusting you.’. Then further talk to God by saying ‘Lord, thank you for showing me this weakness in my life, help me become stronger in this, with your grace… I’m sorry… I praise you…’.
And the effects of Meditation are –
- We desire to do good, and get guilt from doing bad.
- Our emotions get healing.
- From God, we get affirmations that He’s there for us.
- Holiness – vices are destroyed, virtues are developed.
We can say that we truly pray and it could only work when we consciously try our hardest to avoid sinning, doing things according to God’s will and for His glory, living a Catholic life of values, and we have pure motives and intentions.
According to the Reading, we must pray “…continuous throughout the day and night.” and “…if we devote a great deal of time with it.”. These reminds me of the main idea of the Liturgy of the Hours that:
“From ancient times the Church has had the custom of celebrating each day the liturgy of the hours. In this way the Church fulfills the Lord’s precept to “…pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), at once offering its praise to God the Father and interceding for the salvation of the world.” – Office of the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship.
Pope Francis said:
“You must make time each day for prayer. But you may say to me: Holy Father, I want to pray, but there is so much work to do! I must care for my children; I have chores in the home; I am too tired even to sleep well. This may be true, but if we do not pray, we will not know the most important thing of all: God’s will for us. And for all our activity, our busy-ness, without prayer we will accomplish very little.”
Let us help praying for each other through the Liturgy of the Hours, and please recommend its importance whenever you get the chance.
She is the Author of The Best Catholic website. As an experienced Digital Artist and Graphic Designer, she is passionate about creating and appreciating art, having focused on these fields these last few years. She also owns a couple of small businesses.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
Email: [email protected]
Like 'The Best Catholic' on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBestCatholic
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
Email: [email protected]
Like 'The Best Catholic' on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBestCatholic
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