Prayer Quote from St. Teresa of Avila

 

St. Teresa of Avila:

 

"Prayer is, in my  opinion, nothing else than a close sharing between friends;  it means taking the time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us."

 

 

POPE FRANCIS & 'courageous prayer'

 

MORE from Pope Francis on 'Prayer'

 

(This comment appeared in the June/July 2013 issue of INSIDE THE VATICAN  -- www.insidethevatican.  It  is written by Angela Ambrogetti and appeared in an article entitled:  Homilies from the Heart ;  pp. 12-13.)  

 

 

Pope Francis is creating his own small school of prayer.   He encourages all Catholics to engage in "a courageous prayer,"  a prayer that "struggles to achieve a miracle, not prayers of courtesy.   'Ah, I will pray for you.'   I say an Our Father,  a Hail Mary, and then I forget.

 

No:   a courageous prayer, like that of Abraham, who struggled with the Lord to save a city;  like that of Moses, who held his hands high and tired himself out, praying to the Lord;  like that of many people, so many people who have faith and pray with faith."

 

 

 

Pope Francis and Prayer

(Pope Francis on the day of his election being introduced in Vatican Square)

 

 

POPE FRANCIS and PRAYER

 

In the September 30, 2013 issue of AMERICA magazine, there was an extensive interview with Pope Francis by a fellow Jesuit, Antonio Spadaro, SJ;  at the end of the interview,  Pope Francis was asked about his preferred way to pray; this was his response:

 

"I pray the breviary every morning.  I like to pray with the psalms.  Then, later, I celebrate Mass.  I pray the Rosary.  What I really prefer is adoration in the evening, even when I get distracted and think of other things, or even fall asleep praying.   In the evening, then, between seven and eight o'clock,  I stay in front of the Blessed Sacrament for an hour in adoration.  But I pray mentally even when I am waiting at the dentist or at other times of the day.

 

"Prayer for me is always a prayer full of memory,  of recollection, even the memory of my own history or what the Lord has done in his church or in a particular parish.  For me it is the memory of which St. Ignatius speaks in the First Week of the Exercises in the encounter with the merciful Christ crucified.  And I ask myself:  'What have I done for Christ?  What am I doing for Christ?   What should I do for Christ?'   It is the memory of which Ignatius speaks in the 'Contemplation for Experiencing Divine Love,' when he asks us to recall the gifts we have received.   But above all, I also know that the Lord remembers me.   I can forget about him, but I know that he never, ever forgets me.   Memory has a fundamental role for the heart of a Jesuit;  memory of grace, the memory mentioned in Deuteronomy, the memory of God's works that are the basis of the covenant between God and the people.  It is this memory that makes me his son and that makes me a father, too."   

 

 

PRAYING IN THE GROCERY STORY

(produce and herbs from the friary garden)

 

AN EXERCISE IN GRATITUDE

 

"Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."   (Colossians 3:17)

 

Sr. Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D., writes a reflection  on Paul's words to the Colossians in the daily devotional:  LIVING FAITH that we might take with us grocery shopping.  You might want to read the whole passage from St. Paul for today:  Colossians 3:12-17.   It's always a rich scripture text to bring to prayer. 

 

"Three times today St. Paul tells the Colossians to be thankful.   Gratitude is the hallmark of our faith.

 

For me, grocery shopping is an exercise in gratitude.  As I enter the store, I remind myself how lucky I am to have so much food readily available.  As I push my cart through the produce section, I marvel at the beautiful array of apples, oranges, bananas, lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, corn.   And I pray for all those individuals who played a part in bringing this precious food to this store -- farmers, pickers, processors, truck drivers.   Rather than always complaining about the prices,  I try to thank God that I can still afford to buy good food -- and I pray for those who can't.   Every week I also try to buy a few non-perishables for our church's food pantry.   When I get home and put all the groceries away, I always have a deep sense of just how blessed I really am.

 

What experiences evoke gratitude in you?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

HENRY NOUWEN ON 'PRAYER'

PRAYER as  THE ONLY NECESSARY THING

 

Since Henri Nouwen's death in 1996,  his Henri Nouwen Society has continued to make access to his writings, etc. available;  in the book THE ONLY NECESSARY THING:  Living a Prayerful Life, we are greeted with an INVITATION on page 25 that is worth pondering:

 

"The invitation to a life of prayer is the invitation to live in the midst of this world without being caught in the net of wounds and needs.   The word "prayer" stands for a radical interruption of the vicious chain of interlocking dependencies leading to violence and war and for an entering into a totally new dwelling place.   It points to a new way of speaking, a new way of breathing, a new way of being together,  a new way of knowing, yes, a whole new way of living.

 

It is not easy to express the radical change that prayer represents, since for many the word "prayer" is associated with piety, talking to God, thinking about God, morning and evening exercises, Sunday services, grace before meals, sentences from the Bible, and many other things.   All of these have something to do with prayer, but when I speak about prayer .... I speak first of all about moving away from the dwelling place of those who hate peace into the house of God .....  Prayer is the center of the Christian life.   It is the only necessary thing (Luke 10:42).   It is living with God here and now."   

PRAYER; 'LORD, TAKE OVER'

 

LORD, TAKE OVER

 

One of my favorite prayers is only three words long,  and I feel the need to say it often;  "Lord, take over."   I need God's guidance and inspiration to help me make good decisions.  I need him to take over so I can give to others what they need from me.   My experience has taught me that I cannot do this by myself.   The insights must come from God.

 

The good news is that God's guiding wisdom is within all of us.  The bad news is that we're often unaware of its presence in our minds and hearts.  It seems that we can only discover this if we're willing to spend time silently with God.   In silent attentive prayer, we learn how to recognize and accept the guidance that God wants to give.

 

(This reflection appeared in the LIVING FAITH daily devotional;  it is written by Fr. Kenneth E. Grabner, C.S.C.)