Devotion for today: Put yourself into prayer

Matthew 6:7-20: “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:

Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we also have forgiven our trespassers;

 And lead us not into temptation,
 But deliver us from evil.

I have been reading the book "The Fulfillment of All Desire" by Ralph Martin, as I have previously mentioned in my blogs. It is a wonderful book, meant to be read slowly and thoughtfully. In the book, Ralph Martin gives us the essence of holiness as he discovered it in the writings of Teresa of Avila, Bernard of Clairvaux, Therese of Lisieux, Francis de Sales, and John of the Cross. He states, "What the spiritual journey is all about is uniting our will with God's will, wanting what He wants, loving what He loves, living a life that in all its aspects honors Him and gives Him glory." The only way to do this, of course, is to be devoted to a life of sincere prayer.

 It is not complicated nor is it hard. It does require dedication, determination, and a fixation on the goal of holiness. We simply cannot get to God if we don't talk to Him and listen to Him. Teresa of Avila reminds us, "Don't think that in what concerns perfection there is some mystery or things unknown or still to be understood, for in perfect conformity to God's will lies all our good."(The Interior Castle). She goes on to state, "The whole aim of any person who is beginning prayer-and don't forget this, because it is important-should be that he work and prepare himself with determination and every possible effort to bring his will into conformity with God's will. Be certain that ...the greatest perfection attainable along the spiritual path lies in this conformity." (The Interior Castle). So there we have it. To be holy is to do God's will, and to do God's will we must give Him our will, completely and totally. To do that, we must have a good prayer life. There is no other way to find God.

A good prayer life includes reading Scripture, meditating on God's word, praising Him, thanking Him, asking Him for our daily needs, and petitioning for His mercy upon us as sinners. Once we do this, we can begin to hear His voice penetrating the noise in our heads and begin to hear the whisper in our ears as to the direction in which we need to go. The saints were so in tune with God that they did not speak or act unless they "felt" led by God. What a level of closeness to achieve!! But if they could do it, so can we.

So where do we begin? My thought is to begin with the only prayer Jesus taught us: the Our Father. Teresa of Avila states, "It is very possible that while you are reciting the Our Father or some other vocal prayer, the Lord may raise you to perfect contemplation." (The Way of Perfection). St. Francis de Sales tells us, "[Common, memorized prayers] must be said with strict attention of mind and with affections aroused by the meaning of the words. Do not hurry along and say many things but try to speak from your heart. A single Our Father said with feeling has greater value than many said quickly and hurriedly. (Introduction to the Devout Life).

In teaching us the Our Father, Jesus has given us the perfect prayer. This week we will study the Our Father, citing the Catechism and the Saints on this special way of speaking to God. We can prepare by slowly, carefully and attentively praying this prayer today, without distraction or haste. Think of how many times we say the Our Father and speed through it, never really remembering what we said. If we say a rosary, we say the Our Father. If we say the Chaplet of Mercy, we say the Our Father. If we attend Mass, we say the Our Father. It is already ingrained in our prayer life, but I don't think we are praying it the way St. Francis de Sales and St. Teresa of Avila have in mind.

Let us pray: Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. AMEN.

All quotations were taken from "The Fulfillment of All Desire: A Guidebook for the Journey to God Based on the Wisdom of the Saints, by Ralph Martin, Emmaus Road Publishing, 2006)