What is prayer? There are all types of prayers : big prayer, small prayer, vocal prayer, chant, mental prayer, contemplative prayer, meditation with the scriptures ( lectio divina ), intercession and so on.
When we pray we communicate with the divine; with God. When we pray, we ask, beg, plead and give thanks. The act of praying is quiet and unhurried - in all religions.
Above : this poignant painting by the wonderful artist never fails to touch my heart. JEAN-FRANÇOIS MILLET –The Angelus – a time for prayer for two farmers pausing to do so in their fields. ‘El Ángelus’; Oil on canvas; 55.5 x 66 cm 1857-1859 at the Museo de Orsay, Paris.
For Christians, praying is more than just kneeling down, folding your hands together and repeating words which we have memorised. In fact, this article is not going to describe everything about prayer, the various spiritual and theological aspects of prayer or even how to pray. I do not have the skill nor the theological knowledge to do this subject justice at all. So, today, I would like to write about only one aspect of prayer - placing prayer in the context of LOVE and see how, as a result, we can enter into a transformative personal encounter with God.
SURGE OF THE HEART
St. Thérèse of Lisieux ( the ‘Little Flower’ ) expresses this connection between prayer and love so well when she wrote that for her, prayer is the language of the heart. She wrote that when she prays, that moment 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”.
She also writes, "For me, prayer means launching out from the heart toward God; a cry of grateful love from the crest of joy or through the trough of despair. It is a vast supernatural force that opens out my heart and binds me close to Jesus."
How often when we pray do we think only in terms of words? Yet, prayer is so much more than mere words. As you see above, according to St. Thérèse, LOVE is the cornerstone of prayer. With love and a receptive heart, the almost child-like saint, the ‘Little Flower’ speaks directly to God. Praying is … that simple.
Above : St. Thérèse of Lisieux - the Little Flower who loved God with all her heart
When St. Thérèse of Lisieux entered the Carmelite Convent of Lisieux at the age of just 15 years ( following in the footsteps of her 2 elder sisters before her ) she was already in frail health ( tuberculosis ) and in 1897, she died as a nun - very young at the age of only 24 years. During her brief life on earth, the outpouring of St. Thérèse’ heart to God never ceased because love for Christ was central to her being – God was ever present and awaiting her in eternity. The depth of St. Thérèse’ intimate mystical spiritual connection with God enabled her to speak directly and totally with God. Indeed, we can read the wonderful results in the 54 soaring poems she wrote where she used simple imagery such as flowers ( especially roses ), the lyre ( a four string musical instrument ), an arrow, a feeble little reed or a grain of sand to convey with immense clarity the indescribable beauty and wonder of a loving God. For this little saint sometimes also called the ‘theologian of the heart’, she did not have to change any part of her for God to love her as she was ; she knew that He already loved her. And the legacy which St. Thérèse passes to us is this powerful assurance.
A PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH GOD
So, how do we enter into such a conversation with God ? There are many ways. There is no right or wrong way. Prayer isn’t just for the religious orders or for saints. It’s for all of us. You are who you are. I am who I am. I learn to be ‘ME’ when I speak to God from the heart and ask for God’s recognition of this. Present yourself as you are and invite Christ into your interior life. Our interior life is a life which seeks God everywhere and sees God in everything we do. We reach a deeply amazing personal encounter with God when we ‘speak’ to God; when we pray with the language of the heart and when we go beneath the mere surface of our lives. We see that God already loves us; that he is already there - only for us. By praying you will bask in the love of Christ and experience the sunshine of God.
Recently, I was so fortunate to attend a private Retreat with teachings given by Fr. Marco Cho LC. I learnt one of the ways of how to make a personal encounter with God - by imagining an unhurried visit to an art museum - just by myself - but accompanied only by Jesus Christ himself. Before I enter the art museum, I leave behind all my emotional baggage, my cares and woes, in the cloakroom of the Museum. I check-in all that external nonsensical stuff so that I am able to enter the art museum free of all this and able to fully concentrate on the divine presence of God in my body, mind and spirit. I take my time as I walk with God and together we view my interior life – as I would the paintings in an art museum or gallery. How wonderful and precious ! I almost clapped my hands with sheer delight when Fr. Marco skilfully walked us through this powerful imagery of the art museum since as all my readers know, I love artworks ! So, at the Retreat I learnt how to invite God to an exclusive tour of the art gallery of my interior life - the ‘paintings’ depicting my spiritual journey with Christ. I invited Christ to see my joys, love, fears and hope; telling Him how much I wanted to know Him better; follow Christ; accept Christ and surpass myself by this divine encounter with Him. As Fr. Marco assured me, I need to make these art museum visits more frequent; as often as I can - because the ‘paintings’ in my interior life’s art gallery are just like my faith – the more I put in; the more I get out of faith.
Above : a ‘real’ art gallery of paintings. This is a view of the week-long Exhibition, ‘Beauty of the Universe’ held recently at the eminent Sunway University in Kuala Lumpur in 2023. ‘The Exhibition displayed the unique and inspiring Chinese brush paintings, calligraphy and seals of Fr. Joseph Tham LC, a priest from the Legionaries of Christ in Rome whose artworks show not just his rare skill as an accomplished artist but also his deep faith in God where Fr. Tham sees God everywhere and in everything he does.
LET ME REMAIN IN YOUR LOVE; LET ME LOVE YOU.
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
( John 15: 1-11 )
Indeed, as we learn how to pray in the context of this love, we will find ourselves firmly in the habitual presence of God as we begin the lifelong process of our spiritual journey and personal relationship with God.
GO AHEAD AND EMBRACE THIS GLORIOUS AND SUBLIME JOURNEY !
[Editor’s note : The writer Joan Foo Mahony is very grateful to Fr. Marco Cho LC, the Spiritual Director of Regnum Christi in Hong Kong whose teachings inspired her to write today’s article.]
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Editor’s Note :
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