Prayer and the Love of God

We need time to pray each day if we want to grow spiritually. The soul needs prayer like the body needs oxygen. To be filled more with Christ’s life, we need to take in what Pope Francis has called “the deep breath of prayer .”

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But what exactly is prayer? The great saint of prayer, St. Teresa of ávila, said:

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“Mental prayer is nothing else, in my opinion, but being on terms of friendship with God, frequently conversing in secret with him who we know loves us.”

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Prayer is not a complicated formula or a series of rigid steps; it is our very relationship with God! According to the Catechism , “prayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father.”

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When we make daily prayer a priority, our lives are better. We are reminded of our identity as children of a good Father in heaven, and all that we do — our work, relationships, responsibilities — is enriched with Christ’s Spirit. Rather than relying on our own abilities, efforts and plans, it will be Christ radiating through us, filling us with the grace to live life in ways that are much more fulfilling than we could gain on our own.

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Most of all, prayer is not about what we do so much as it is something God initiates as he puts a desire for him on our hearts. He put that desire for prayer in us because he longs for our time, our attention and our love. As the Catechism says:

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“Jesus thirsts; his asking arises from the depths of God’s desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him.”

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Taking the leap to start a daily prayer life can be intimidating. But these three principles can help you get started.

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Consistent

First, we must be consistent. Most great things in life all come about through a routine and consistent effort. Think of athletes training for competition. They practice the same actions repeatedly, every day, to master the habits of their sport. They have a consistent training regimen that allows them to succeed. Without consistency, they struggle to be successful.

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We need to have something similar in mind for our life of prayer. When you are getting started, don’t worry too much about all the details of prayer. To begin, simply make sure you have a consistent prayer time and routine each day.Even if you can pray for only ten minutes, find a way to do it every day so that you build up the habit, and through the habit build your relationship with God.

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As you seek to build a habit of prayer, your consistency will be tested by busy schedules, competing priorities or even feelings of boredom or frustration. In these times, you will need perseverance to continue in the daily life of relationship with God.

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Quiet

Second, we need quiet in our hearts. When we talk to friends, we want to have their full attention. The same is true in the great conversation of prayer. God wants our full attention. He wants to hear what is on our heart — what we’re going through, our hopes, our dreams, our fears, our hurts, our needs. He also wants to speak to us through his words in Scripture or the saints or other devotional books we might use in prayer. He wants to encourage us, comfort us and prompt us.

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But if we don’t have enough silence in our souls, we won’t be able to speak to him and we won’t be able to listen to what he has to say to us. Find a quiet place — for example, in your room, in a chapel, outdoors — where you’re less likely to be distracted. Put down your phone or even turn it off so you don’t have the distractions of incessant notifications.

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Simple

Third, we need a plan for prayer that’s simple.

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Many people ask, what am I supposed to do in prayer? While there are many different approaches and techniques to prayer, when you’re first starting out, you want to keep it simple. After you quiet yourself down and recognize God’s presence, take some time to read: perhaps a few verses from the Bible, a few lines from a saint, passages from a devotional book like In Conversation with God or The Imitation of Christ or meditations found in publications like Magnificat .

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Then, have a simple conversation with God about what is going on in the passage and how it relates to your life. Tell the Lord something that struck you about what you read. Ask him a question about it. Reflect on how it might apply to your life right now. Talk to God about it and take time in quiet to listen as well. Finally, take what you’ve learned in prayer and make a resolution for how you want to live better.

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Want to learn a 4 step prayer called "Lectio Divina"? Read about the steps here .

The Real Story of the Prodigal Son | Meeting the Messiah

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In this 4-week series led by Curtis Martin and Dr. Edward Sri, we explore Biblical encounters with the person of Jesus Christ. This week, we take a look at the story of the prodigal son in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15.

"Man has a noble task: that of prayer and love. To pray and to love, that is the happiness of man on earth." - St. John Vianney