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Posts Tagged ‘Prayer’

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Pope Benedict on the Subject of the Prayer of Christ

In 06 Scripture & Theology on 2011/12/16 at 9:55 AM

The Pope recently began a new preaching cycle which centers on the subject of the prayer of Christ which, he said, was “like a hidden canal irrigating His life, relationships and actions, and guiding Him with increasing firmness to the total gift of self, in keeping with the loving plan of God the Father”.

One particularly significant moment of prayer followed the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. This, the Pope noted, poses a query as to why Jesus, Who was without sin, should have chosen to submit Himself to John’s Baptism of penance and conversion. John the Baptist himself raised the question, saying “I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?”. The Holy Father explained how “by emerging Himself in the Jordan River, Jesus … expressed His solidarity with people who recognise their sins, who chose to repent and change their lives. He helps us to understand that being part of the people of God means entering into a new life, a life in conformity with God. By this gesture Jesus anticipated the cross, beginning His active life by taking the place of sinners, bearing the weight of the sin of all humankind on His shoulders”.

By praying after His Baptism, Jesus demonstrates His intimate bond with the Father, “experiencing His paternity and apprehending the demanding beauty of His love. Speaking to God, Jesus receives confirmation of His mission”, with the words that resound from on high: “This is my son, the Beloved” and with the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Him. “Through prayer”, the Pope said, “Jesus lives in uninterrupted contact with the Father in order to achieve His project of love for mankind”. It is in this profound union with the Father that Jesus made the move for the hidden life of Nazareth to His public ministry.

Jesus’ prayer had its roots in His family, deeply attached to the religious tradition of the People of Israel, but its “most profound and essential origin is in the fact that He is the Son of God, in a unique relationship with God the Father”. In the Gospel narratives “the setting for Jesus’ prayers always stands at the crossroads between the traditions of His people and the novelty of a personal and unique rapport with God. The ‘deserted place’ to which He often retired, the ‘mountain’ He ascended to pray and the ‘night’ which gave Him solitude, all recall phases of God’s revelation in the Old Testament and indicate the continuity of His plan of salvation”.

“Jesus’ prayer enters into all stages of His ministry and into every day of His life. It is not interrupted by fatigue. Quite the contrary, the Gospels make it clear that Jesus was wont to spend part of the night in prayer, … and when the decisions to be taken become more urgent and complex, His prayer becomes longer and more intense”.

“Contemplating Jesus’ prayer, we should ask ourselves how we pray”, said Benedict XVI, “and how much time we dedicate to our relationship with God”. In this context he highlighted “the importance of the prayerful reading of Holy Scripture. … Listening, meditating and remaining in silence before the Lord is an art we learn through constant practice”, he said.

“Christians are today called “to be witnesses of prayer, because our world often remains closed to the divine, to the hope which leads to the encounter with God. Through profound friendship with Jesus, by living in Him and with Him as children of the Father, through faithful and constant prayer, we can open ourselves to heaven and God. Indeed, by following the paths of prayer, … we can also help others to follow them”.

In conclusion, the Holy Father exhorted the faithful “to maintain an intense relationship with God, to pray, not intermittently but constantly and faithfully, so as to illuminate our lives as Jesus taught us. And let us ask Him to help us communicate with those around us, with those whom we meet on our journey, transmitting to them the joy of meeting the Lord, light of life”.

 

Copyright © Vatican Information Service Vatican City                                                                   VIS 20111130 (730)

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“Are you living in the presence of God?”

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2011/12/05 at 11:11 PM
Whenever we feel in our hearts a desire to improve, a desire to respond more generously to Our Lord, and we look for something to guide us, a north star to guide our lives as Christians, the Holy Spirit will remind us of the words of the Gospel that we ‘ought to pray continually and never be discouraged’ [1]. Prayer is the foundation of any supernatural endeavour. With prayer we are all powerful; without it, if we were to neglect it, we would accomplish nothing.

I would like us, in our meditation today, to make up our minds once and for all that we need to aspire to become contemplative souls, in the street, in the midst of our work, by maintaining a constant conversation with our God and not breaking it off at any time of the day. If we really want to be loyal followers of our Master, this is the only way…

It is very important to note carefully what the Messiah did, because he came to show us the path that leads to the Father. With Our Lord we will discover how to give a supernatural dimension to all our actions, even those that seem least important. We will learn to live every moment of our lives with a lively awareness of eternity, and we will understand more deeply man’s need for periods of intimate conversation with his God, so as to get to know him, to invoke him, to praise him, to break out into acts of thanksgiving, to listen to him or, quite simply, to be with him. (Friends of God, 238-239)

[1] Luke 18:1

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“Let us try never to lose our supernatural outlook”

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2011/11/16 at 7:45 AM

There is a remedy for those anxieties of yours. Be patient, have rectitude of intention and look at things with a supernatural perspective. (Furrow, 853)

Let us try, therefore, never to lose our supernatural outlook. Let us see the hand of God in everything that happens to us: both in pleasant and unpleasant things, in times of consolation and in times of sorrow, as in the death of someone we love. Your first instinct always should be to talk to your Father God, whom we should seek in the depths of our souls. And we cannot consider this a trivial or unimportant matter. On the contrary, it is a clear sign of a deep interior life, of a true dialogue of love. Far from being psychologically deforming, constant prayer should be for a Christian as natural as the beating of his heart. (Friends of God, 247)

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Real Hope

In 14 Book Corner on 2011/11/04 at 1:11 AM
 Excerpt from ‘The Forty Days’ Teaching by Cardinal John Henry Newman in PRAYERS, VERSES AND DEVOTIONS. Ignatius Press.

God has determined, unless I interfere with His plan, that I should reach that which will be my greatest happiness.  He looks upon me individually, He calls me by my name, He knows what I can do, what I can do best, be what is my greatest happiness, and He means to give it to me.

God knows what is my greatest happiness, but I do not . . . God leads us by strange ways; we know He wills our happiness. . . . We are blind; left to ourselves we should take the wrong way; we must leave it to Him.

I am created to do something or to be something for which no one else is created.

God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. . . . I am necessary for His purpose. . . . I am a link in a chain . . . of connections between persons.

I will trust Him. Whatever, whenever I am, I can never be thrown away. . . . He knows what He is about.

How constant is He in His affection! “I will never leave thee or forsake thee.”  He did not forsake me in my sin. . . . He found me and regained me. . . . He resolved to restore me, in spite of myself. . . . What does He ask of me, but that, as He has loved me with an everlasting love, so I should love Him in such poor measures as I can show.


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The Kingdom of God

In 14 Book Corner on 2011/10/01 at 1:11 AM
Excerpt from “The Forty Days’ Teaching by Cardinal John Henry Newman in PRAYERS, VERSES AND DEVOTIONS. Ignatius Press.

My Lord Jesus, how wonderful were those conversations which You did have with Your disciples after your resurrection.   When You went with two of them to Emmaus.  You did explain all the prophecies which related to Yourself.  And You did commit to the Apostles the Sacraments in fulness, and the truths which it was Your will to reveal, and the principles and maxims by which Your Church was to be maintained and governed.

And thus You did prepare them against the day of Pentecost…when life and illumination was to be infused into them.  I will think over all You did say to them with a true and simple faith. The “kingdom of God” was truly Your sacred subject.  Let me never for an instant forget that You had established on earth a kingdom of Your own, that the Church is Your work, Your establishment, Your instrument; that we are under Your rule, Your laws and Your eye-that when the Church speaks You speak.

…let not the weakness of Your human representatives lead me to forget that it is You who speak and act through them.  It was just when You were going away, that then You  did leave this kingdom of Yours to take Your place on to the end of the world, to speak for You, as Your visible form, when Your Personal Presence, sensitive to man, was departing.  I will in true loving faith seeing You before me, teaching all the truths and laws of this kingdom to thy Apostles, and I will adore You, while in my thoughts I gaze upon them and listen to Your words.

I need you to teach me day by day, according to each day’s opportunities and needs….I need the mind of the Spirit, which is the mind of the holy Fathers, and of the Church….I need to be saved from originality of thought, which is not true if it leads away from you….Give me the gift of discriminating between true and false in all discourse of mind…My ears are dull, so that I cannot hear Your voice….You alone can quicken my hearing…cleanse and renew my heart….Give me the discernment to know Your voice from the voice of strangers….and answer me through my own mind.

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Note to a Worried Friend

In 07 Observations on 2011/07/15 at 12:14 PM

The past is memory; the future, imagination.  We have only the present, and it is only in the present that we receive the grace we need to cope.  We do not receive grace to cope with our imaginary worries for the future.  If and when what we worry about comes to pass, then it will be in that present that we will be given the graces we need.

We can only offer God the present, today.  And, we need to sanctify each day, heeding the many inspirations and graces which He sends us throughout the day.  We need to concentrate on what we are doing.  Sanctity results by being faithful in details, in everyday things, in actions which might seem irrelevant were they not vivified by grace.

Hope is a virtue that is essential to our sanity.  We need it most when we are in difficult situations or have serious problems.  It helps us to focus on eternal values so as not to become disoriented.  St. John Chrysostom always gave practical as well as spiritual advice: ” One needs not only to be able to hold out but to have a stable, solid confidence, which is firmly grounded on faith, so as never to be overcome by difficulties.” (Homily on Hebrews 5)

God will always be there at the right time (although it may be in secret and mysterious ways).  Do not abandon Him: He does not abandon you.  Mother Teresa used to say:  “God speaks to us in the silence of our hearts.”  So, listen with the ears of your heart.

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“Christian prayer: a loving conversation with Jesus”

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2011/07/12 at 7:44 AM
I have always understood Christian prayer as being a loving conversation with Jesus, which shouldn’t be interrupted even in the moments when we are physically far from the Tabernacle, because our whole life is a serenade of human love for our God|… and we can love always. (The Forge, 435)

Each day without fail we should devote some time especially to God, raising our minds to him, without any need for the words to come to our lips, for they are being sung in our heart. Let us give enough time to this devout practice; at a fixed hour, if possible. Before the Tabernacle, close to him who has remained there out of Love. If this is not possible, we can pray anywhere because our God is ineffably present in the heart of every soul in grace. Still I would advise you to go to the oratory whenever you can…

Each one of you, if he wants, can find his own way to converse with God. I do not like to talk about methods or formulas, because I have never wished to straitjacket anyone. What I have always tried to do is to encourage everyone to come closer to Our Lord, respecting each soul as it is, each with its own characteristics. Ask him to introduce his ideas and plans into our lives: not only into our heads, but also into the depths of our hearts and into all our outward actions. I assure you that you will thus be spared many of the disappointments and sorrows of selfishness, and you will find you have the strength to do good to all around you. How many obstacles vanish when in our hearts we place ourselves next to this God of ours, who never abandons us! Jesus’ love for his own, for the sick and for the lame, is renewed, expressed in different ways, ‘What is the matter?’ he asks, and we reply, ‘It’s my…’ At once there is light, or at least the acceptance of his will, and inner peace.

When I encourage you to open your heart in confidence to the Master, I am referring especially to your own difficulties, because most of the obstacles to our happiness come from our pride, which may be hidden to a greater or less degree. We had thought we were worth a great deal and had a lot of exceptional qualities; then, when others didn’t agree, we felt humiliated. This is a good time to pray and to correct our mistaken attitude. We can be sure it is never too late to change our course. (Friends of God, 249)

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Prayer

In 14 Book Corner on 2011/05/02 at 9:28 PM

“Man needs a place of holy tranquillity that the breath of God prevades….This place is the inaccessibility of God Himself, which only Christ opens to man.

All prayer begins by man becoming silent – recollecting his scattered thoughts, feeling remorse at his trespasses, and directing his thoughts toward God.  If man does all this, this place is thrown open, not only as a domain of spiritual tranquillity and mental concentration, but as something that comes from God.

We are always in need of this place, especially when the convulsions of the times make clear something that has always existed but which is sometimes hidden…So we require more than ever this place of which we speak, not to creep into as a hiding place, but a s a place to find the core of things, to become calm and confident once more.” (Romano Guardini ROSARY OF OUR LADY.Ignatius Press)

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“The Risen Christ is Our Companion”

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2011/04/29 at 12:48 PM
The Master passes very close to us, again and again. He looks at us… And if you look at him, if you listen to him, if you don’t reject him, He will teach you how to give a supernatural meaning to everything you do… Then you too, wherever you may be, will sow consolation and peace and joy. (The Way of the Cross, Eighth Station, 4)

In the middle of his daily work, when he has to overcome his selfishness, when he enjoys the cheerful friendship of other people, a Christian should rediscover God. Through Christ and in the Holy Spirit, a Christian has access to the intimacy of God the Father, and he spends his life looking for the Kingdom which is not of this world, but which is initiated and prepared in this world.

We must seek Christ in the word and in the bread, in the Eucharist and in prayer. And we must treat him as a friend, as the real, living person he is — for he is risen. Christ, we read in the Epistle to the Hebrews, “holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently he is able for all time to save those who draw near to God, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Christ, the risen Christ, is our companion and friend. He is a companion whom we can see only in the shadows — but the fact that he is really there fills our whole life and makes us yearn to be with him forever. “The Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him who hears say, Come. And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price… He who testifies to these things says, Surely I am coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” (Christ is passing by, 116)

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Pray Always?

In 06 Scripture & Theology on 2011/04/12 at 5:45 PM

How on earth can I follow that Scriptural advice?  There are a series of quotations in the Gospels that can serve to raise one’s heart in adoration, contrition, petition or thanksgiving any time.

“Lord, if You will, make me clean.”  Matt. 8:2.

“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”  Luke: 18: 38.

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Luke 23:42

“God, be merciful to me, as sinner.”  Luke 18: 13.

“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” John 21:17.

“I believe, help my unbelief.”  Mark 9:23.

“My Lord and my God.”  John 20:28.