How do You Pray?

“Rejoice always, pray constantly.” (1 Thess. 5:16-17)

“... it must be said that there is no substitution for the practice of daily, personal prayer.” (Fr. William Casey, You Shall Stand Firm: Preserving the Faith in an Age of Apostasy)

Jesus told his disciples to pray always. “Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.” (Luke 18:1) Our lives, our way of living, should be part of that prayer.

You can pray while doing other things, like driving, shopping, gardening, etc. Even doing chores can be a form of prayer. The whole point here is that you are offering your daily activities to God, for his glory and not yours. But at some time every day you should find a quiet setting and just meditate on the Lord. Jesus, just prior to giving the disciples the Our Father (for which reason we call it The Lord’s Prayer) told them this: “But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.” (Matthew 6:6)

Silence is important. God does not always shout his words, contrary to the belief of some pagans who doubt Jesus’s divinity because a God’s voice would be booming. In 1 Kings 19:11-12, we learn that God was neither in the strong violent wind, nor the earthquake, nor the fire but “after the fire, a light silent sound.” Essentially a whisper. If you aren’t in a quiet place, how will you hear God when he whispers to you? And when he does speak to you take Fr. Larry Richards’ advice: “Shut up and listen!”

Bishop Sheen made a daily Holy Hour for all 54 years of his priesthood. He told all of us to do the same, not just priests and religious, but the laity as well. He acknowledges the difficulty in doing so but insists on its importance. “It was easier years ago when we were not so busy, but today the world is like an octopus reaching out to us. And we are unable to put ourselves in the presence of God in five or ten minutes. Hence, we must have a continuous hour in order that we may pray. It takes almost fifteen or twenty minutes to get rid of the world when we come in to pray.” (Sheen, On the Demonic)

Yes, this takes commitment. “Spiritual warfare is a commitment for every day and for every hour.” (Fr. Livio Fanzaga, The Deceiver) St. Peter cautioned that the devil is searching for souls. “Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) We must be diligent and prepared, and that requires prayer. Today’s world is a tool of the devil and works against our preparedness for spiritual warfare.

St. Paul told us, “Put on the armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:11-12) Prayer is part of the armor of God.

Ideally we should spend our holy hour in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. And the best way to do this is when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration but in most areas this is not possible on a daily basis. However, Jesus is always present in the tabernacle. So what can we do if our church is not open for visiting? Sheen’s solution was to find where the tabernacle was located in a nearby church (for example, when he was traveling) and park as close as possible and spend his Holy Hour there.

Most of us may not be able to do this so we need to follow Our Lord’s guidance in our inner room. It’s difficult to shut out the world, it intrudes into our lives at every turn. But it’s necessary. We need to die to the world (and ourselves) for the sake of Jesus, who called us out of the world. (John 15:19) “Unfaithful creatures! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (Jas 4:4) Rather we need to be friends with God. “The Holy Hour is essential for reparation and intercession. Ten just people would have saved Sodom and Gomorrah (see Gen 18:16-33).” (Sheen, On the Demonic)

If you are friends with someone you communicate with them. You spend time with them. How can you be friends with Jesus if you won’t take time to be with him? As Catholics we know where to find him. Sure, he’s “everywhere” and “wherever two or three are gathered in my name” (Matthew 18:20); but he is physically in the Eucharist in the tabernacle, the monstrance, or on the altar during the sacrifice of the Mass.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20)

Dr. Peter Kreeft tells us, “Prayer is talking to the greatest “Celebrity” there ever was or ever will be. Prayer helps you to get to know Him and become His friend” (Because God is Real). Think about what you would pay to see some star performer. You can visit Jesus just by going to Church. He’s waiting for you to visit him and be his friend. The time is now, don’t wait. Noone knows how much time they have left.

“Never will we understand the value of time better than when our last hour is at hand.” St. Arnold Janssen

We are all called to conversion (a message that seems to be overlooked in today’s world, even by the Church hierarchy). Prayer is part of that conversion. Prayer opens us up to God’s work in our lives. “Whenever you pray, you are submitting to laser surgery on your soul. Prayer is God’s operating room. He’s waiting for your consent to operate.” Dr. Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul, Cycle C, p. 158.

Reinvigorate your prayer life today!