There is something that I know, that I need to know. Most of the excellent talks I’ve heard on spiritual matters are reinforcements of things I’ve heard before. It’s amusing how we humans desire to listen and re-listen things in order to let them go down into our hearts.
It recalls to my memory of how the word “knew” in the Bible often construe not just to an intellectual knowledge, but to a closely acquainted knowledge (i.e. referring to the act of marriage- Adam knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain).
Anywise, here is something that I know, but I need to know.
God made me for deep intimacy with him. He made me to be a saint, which means to be made perfect in charity through his grace.
And here is something I truly need to know. There is only one path to apprehending this in my life and it is to spend time with him. The path to sainthood is a path of prayer.
The good tiding: prayer is not rocket science. It is not the custom of the wonderful, but the normal.
Fr. Jacques Philippe says in Time for God:
“The crucial act of prayer, after all, is to place ourselves in God’s presence and stay there.”
He goes on later to betone:
“If our prayer comprise of nothing more than that- holding ourselves before God without doing anything or thinking anything special, without any particular feelings, but with a heartfelt attitude of accessibility and trusting renouncement- then we could not do any better.”
Isn’t that incredible?
While some people can reach the highest point of athletic greatness, all can reach the heights of sanctity.
Because that’s what we’ve been made for.
Do you want to be a saint? Are you been made bold to hear that what is most requested is to simply be with God?
If you’ve made this determination before, to pray regularly, and struggled to keep it, I want to suggest something that may aid.
I downloaded a free app called CommitTo3. It motivates you to focus on 3 specific commitments each day, and it sends you reminders if your day passes and you haven’t checked any off.
My CommitTo3 has the following routine that I have tried to use everyday, but sometimes get away from me.
They are:
1) Mental prayer (which I try to do for 30 minutes, but you could start with even 15)
2) Pray Rosary
3) Daily Examination
In inclusion to having the reminders, select a good time for each in your calendar. If you miss it you can make it up later, but its nice to get a good routine or habit going.
Another great way is to start a timer when you’ve started praying. Set it to go off after 15 minutes and then you’ll understand, not regarding of “quality” of prayer, that you’ve spent that time with God.
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