The Power of Prayer

*The intent of this blog is to briefly detail what prayer is and in a possible future blog to discuss how to pray.*

How many of us would agree that we have a strong and solid prayer life? If your answer is yes then congratulations! You are on your way to humble and holy saintliness! However, there are many of us that might sadly admit that our prayer life could be stronger or it may even be nearly non-existent. Many may struggle with the basic concept of prayer. What is prayer, exactly? The word prayer originates from the Latin word "precari" which means to plead, to beg, or ask earnestly. That may seem obvious since we ask God of many things amidst prayer. It's simply in our human nature to ask the Divine for intervention. We have been informed by our Lord and Savior to do as such, " Jesus answered, 'Have faith in God. In truth I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, "Be pulled up and thrown into the sea," with no doubt in his heart, but believing that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. I tell you therefore, everything you ask and pray for, believe that you have it already and it will be yours. " (Mark 11: 22-24)

Naturally our mind might gravitate to a more materialistic aspect and beg God for a million dollars. We did speak in a previous blog that God always wishes to give and only desires the very best for us. Jesus did say ask and you shall receive but God will not grant our prayers if those very things we ask for may be of great detriment to our eternal salvation. On the other hand, a prayer that is said with great doubt in the Lord or mistrust may deem our prayers null and void. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes prayer as a three fold means of attaining union with God. 

St. Therese of Lisieux described prayer very eloquently, " For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy."  This details perfectly what the Catechism ( 2558- 2565) expounds upon relating to prayer : Prayer is first and foremost a gift from God, an act of commitment and love for God, and an act of attaining union with God.

Prayer as God's Gift (2559)

He who humbles himself shall be exalted. Humility is the foundation of building and executing a deep and meaningful prayer life. Jesus as the living example of humbleness lived a life dedicated for the reparation of God's sons and daughters (us) so much so that he paid the ultimate price by sacrificing himself for our salvation. Approaching God with the humblest of hearts shall be rewarded greatly by God as He dispenses grace to us so that we may remain strong in our faith. Prayer increases the amount of graces given by God when we are unable to attend Mass or Adoration (during the week), and that grace transforms our hearts and strengthens our spiritual life. 

Prayer as Covenant (2562)

We can utter words and pray from our minds but if we do not pray to God from our heart then our prayers are in vain. Scripture mentions praying from the heart more than a thousand times! If this doesn't stress the importance of praying and truly meaning it then we're not sure what does! Surrender is at the heart of Christianity. No human person is able to understand the human heart, not even their own like God can. Therefore, unifying yourself to God’s will through prayer and learning to trust the Lord will bring peace and contentment.

Prayer as Communion (2565)

Prayer is a way of attaining communion in God’s love with the unity of the Holy Trinity. The grace of the Kingdom is "the union of the entire holy and royal Trinity . . . with the whole human spirit."( St. Gregory of Nazianzus) Therefore, prayer as a habit, is a way for us to remain in the presence of the Trinity and in communion with God. Communion is possible because through the Sacrament of Baptism we are united to Christ, as members of His Body, the holy Catholic Church. This union with Christ through Baptism bestows a great strength to our prayers. Our prayers united in communion with the Trinity through the union of God’s love and our Baptism extends through the Body that is the Church.

Hence, we must never underestimate the power of prayer. Just imagine the effect if we ALL prayed as Christ told us to, “as if our prayers have already been answered.” That doubtful premonition that lingers in the pit of our stomach could often be labeled as distrust. Imagine God, being all good, all merciful and loving, knowing this feeling remains in us, not trusting that He will do what is best for us. That should strike a cord of sorrow in you, because God can only do good. God wills everything for the advancement in our journey to eternal salvation. Never forget that the purpose of existing on this earth is to live as Christ, and to bring others to His all-encompassing Love and Mercy for their eternal salvation. We exist for the other, and our primary interest remains in the delight of us all sharing eternal bliss together. We must truly consider what great damage our inconsideration and sins against others do to Christ. In essence we are adding more wounds to His precious Holy Body.. both figuratively and literally. Through the mighty Grace and spiritual power that is received through the Sacraments and Adoration, to the weekly sustaining means that is prayer that unites us to Christ, let us learn what it really means to pray and reflect on what it truly means to live in Christ, as Christ lived…ALWAYS being considerate of others’ needs before our own.

Matthew 25: 40 “ Amen I say to you, whatever you did to the least of my brethren, you did to me.”

The Word Became Flesh

     During this most blessed time of Advent when we await the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we would like to take a much needed break from Armor of God to reflect on the this most sublime event in history.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (John 1:14)

Think about that passage for a bit. Allow the words of St. John the Divine to sink in deep and ponder how unspeakable this single event really was. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, I believe, says it the best:

"God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life."
(CCC 1)

To think that God would willingly take on the very flesh and bone of His own created creatures is mind boggling. Whenever one thinks of "God" or a "god" I would presume that they would perceive someone who is virtually untouchable or out of the grasp of the human intellect to fully comprehend; let alone to compare himself to. God, to the average person, is somebody who is on such a higher level in every way that to think the average person could even fathom God as a man is simply too much to wrap our head around. A "god" would need to have certain characteristics. He would need to be a super hero of sorts having the ability to do things no human could do. Perhaps things beyond what Christ did by defying the laws of physics and forgiving sins. Throughout human history many people, namely political leaders, have claimed to be "God" or at least a "god". However, in every case the effects of their own mortality eventually kicked in and clearly shown that this was obviously not the case. All people have a different idea of what God or a god is supposed to be and/or do according to their own presuppositions. Nevertheless, I think it's safe to say that the notion of God being (or becoming) a man seems too far fetched or something found only in ones own creative imagination.

But this is exactly what God did. The very Creator of everything we see walked and talked as we do. In an act of complete humility He came to us not in pomp and ceremony but in the raw confines of a hidden away cave on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Allow the reality of this truth to penetrate your heart. Think about how the all powerful Creator of everything that exists came to His own Creation in complete poverty. He could've had it all. He could've chosen to be born in the upper echelon of the time and been brought up as king that way. He could've chosen to be born in wealth and have respect from birth but He didn't. Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Holy Trinity, freely chose to be born almost without notice. Hence, the words St. John speak volumes, "He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not." (John 1:10) This passage only goes to show that the world back then, so much like today, didn't have their priorities straight.

God created us for Him; to love Him in return. Going to such great lengths to show us His love for us I marvel at the worlds ingratitude. Perhaps it's simply too difficult to comprehend for some. One might think that if God became human everyone would easily recognize Him. As we've seen above that is not the case, however, as Christ said, "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that through Him it might be saved." Jesus gives us the perfect modal of how the human life is to be lived. Our world thrives on power and influence so when Christ came in the flesh the world didn't recognize Him as such because He didn't fit the world's description.

We see the beginnings of the full manifestation of God's love for us in the birth of Christ. Foretold centuries beforehand and fulfilled to a tee when the fullness of time had come. Imagine the stillness of that very night some two thousand years ago. The heavens were all in awe and amazement. The angels look on in wonder as for they have never even taken on flesh. Their very Creator and God stooped even lower than them. Everything was going as planned as the will of God the Father was taking shape.

This Christmas season we urge our readers to reflect on the humility of God. Take some time before Holy Mass or at home in silence and allow the Holy Spirit to infuse you with the magnitude of how great and incomprehensible the incarnation is and was. Place yourself in the secluded cave beside Our Lady and St. Joseph and ponder on what you might have said or thought. Imagine the stillness and calm over all of creatron at that moment. Imagine the Blessed Virgin picking up the Baby Jesus and handing Him to you to hold. Draw closer to our Lord Himself as you ever so gently hold your very own Creator and God in your arms. The very one who shall redeem you through His suffering and love unspeakable. Imagine all the angels present with you and around you bowing in complete submission to a baby. Watch as the shepherds and wise men approach and offer the newborn Messiah gifts. Look back on your own life and reflect on how you have treated God and if necessary repent and embrace His love like never before. Ask God to grant you the strength to submit to Him your life and love. Unto us a Savior is born, Christ the King!

LOREM NATIVITATIS!!!

~Merry Christmas!~

Copyright 2011 New Voice for Broken Souls

The Flames of Love and Hate: The Inner Struggle

   

     God seems to take us where He wills and leaves us questioning our very existence and life during the process. The things He uses, allows and permits, although unknown to us at the time, serve as His means to accomplishing this end. He desires our best and our souls, even while being conformed to His, still lack the substance needed to adapt to His method of transforming us. We are carnal, limited and finite; He is pure Spirit, unlimited and infinite. Hence, the struggle begins. We have looked at our own lives and recognized this unfamiliar process of death from within. We struggle and ask questions only to have the heavens seemingly shut to our cries for answers. But God is faithful and true. When He knows we're ready He will begin to show us what He's doing with us. We have no say in the matter except to trust Him in love. We are not our own. We have been bought with a price by the Redeemers Precious Blood and we need to be open to every possibility that may present itself as something coming from His hands. It is the will and not the circumstance where with we ought to remain focused. That is key and needs to constantly be in the forefront of our spiritual journey.
     With this being said our Lord will, at times, allow the powers of darkness to revel over us with such violence and determination in order to prove us. The devil's know that when you kill love you kill the value of anything done. Even good works are put to naught when not done in light of our love of God and neighbor. The demons know what our weaknesses are and they use them against us in order to fulfill their call to kill the love within us. In many and various ways they cleverly turn the tables against us having us see things as they really aren't. That's right, as they really aren't! At face value the things we perceive as happening really seem to be real and in accordance with the truth. But in reality (in light of revealed Truth, Jesus Christ) they are merely deceptions or illusions reinforced by the devil's attempt to squeeze the love out from within us. Satan's goal is to put a wedge between ourselves and God.
     Pure love brings vulnerability. As a result, this is how God tests our faith and trust in order to unite ourselves with Him. We know intellectually that God is all good and desires the best for us but at times when He's purifying us through fire we are, as it were, left as bate for Satan. We are left completely exposed and open to his schemes of division and foul play. He will feed on the very weaknesses which God the Father is trying to eliminate from within us. It is a battle of celestial titans waging war over our will and we're caught in the middle struggling to find out what is real and what is false. This is not a battle for the weak of faith but takes real fortitude and perseverance. It is a time when most Christians quit rather than fight and so lose the very hope they long for.
     Using the methods of humiliation and self loathing, Satan attaches himself to a person's vulnerabilities and convinces them there is no satisfaction (or hope) other than what he subscribes. Usually in convincing the victim in covering up the exposed darkness left within the heart and soul. This darkness, however, while being brought into the light of Truth and Life can only be dealt with by the will of the person. That is where the outcome of this spiritual struggle is decided. Will they sink into self or cling to God?
     In 1 Corinthians chapter 13 St. Paul shows us that love is the key in unlocking value in the advancement of the kingdom of God and in out own relationship with the Blessed Trinity. In anything we do the motivation needs to be rooted in love or else it is useless. Satan knows this and therefore he tries to take away our love by means of the above mentioned method and feeds us with hatred toward ourselves and eventually, if we allow it, God. This hatred is fueled by us defaming our very selves through being exposed in this spiritual growth process . It plays on the very dignity of the person involved to such an extent that borderlines insanity. God is the ultimate reality and so when He is taken out of the picture purpose and meaning fades away and we're left for dead by our own devises. Satan tries to convince us that God doesn't care and we are the only ones who can satisfy our deepest longings, which, oddly, is to love and be loved.
     Both hatred and love are like fire. They are kindled and when fanned grow larger and larger. Hatred, to our destruction and love to our betterment if properly utilized and understood. When it comes to the eternal destination of everyone of our souls God and the devil do not play games. We will not feel the full weight of this reality until we pass from time into eternity but by then it will be too late.

Let us turn to the saints in this dark struggle. Reflect upon their lives and see how they overcame such inner adversity even to the point of giving their lives over to death for the sake of love of Christ! God calls us all to be saints and He will fully equip us with every spiritual gift and grace we need to shine His light in this blackened world we live in!

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith."

(1 John 5:4)

Copyright 2011 New voice for Broken Souls