"It is often asserted that true prayer cannot be willed or ordered, but must flow spontaneously, like water from the spring, from within. If this does not happen, if it does not well up from our innermost being, one had better not pray at all, for forced prayer is untrue and unnatural. This sounds, at first, convincing; however, if one has gained a fuller under…
Read more"For what she asks of Christ is to live his own life in her, and for his own sake, not for hers . She wants Jesus to continue his own life within her, not to bein in her a new life...She will feel the heart of Christ beat within her breast; Christ will henceforth live his own life in her. She has made her own all the interests, views, loves and desires of C…
Read more"First, we need to be convinced of the vital importance of mental prayer. 'He who avoids prayer is avoiding everything that is good,' said St. John of the Cross. All the saints have spent time praying. Those who were most involved in the service of their neighbor were also contemplatives. St. Vincent de Paul began each day with two or three hours of men…
Read more"To hear the words of God is a serious matter. At Mount Sinai, the people of Israel prepared themselves for three days before God spoke to them the words of the covenant. In the Mass, we prepare ourselves for this holy encounter with God's Word through the Introductory Rites - the Sign of the Cross, the Confiteor, the Kyrie , and the Gloria . Having marked…
Read more"Since purity of intention consists of seeking and pleasing God instead of oneself, the devil sometimes tries to discourage us with the following argument. 'How can you imagine your prayer could ever please God, when you are so full of faults!' The reply is truth at the heart of the Gospel- a truth that the Holy Spirit moved St. Therese of Lisieux to r…
Read more"Therefore the illustrious contemplative often complained that many souls given to prayer seek God very far from them in a distant Heaven, instead of seeking and very easily finding him in their own heart."pg 11 We are the Tabernacle! Oh Lord, reveal yourself to me in a new way!
Read more"Not enough stress is laid on the fact that, though we cannot, whenever we wish, enjoy the company of the God-Man on our altars, it is, however, possible for us to withdraw, like St. Catherine of Siena, into ourselves to commune with the God of our hearts." pg 4 Drawing our attention to our Lord's dwelling place within, we enter adoration. As we mov…
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