There is
nothing more worthwhile than to pray to God and to converse with him,
for prayer unites us with God as his companions. As our bodily eyes
are illuminated by seeing the light, so in contemplating God our soul
is illuminated by him. Of course the prayer I have in mind is no
matter of routine, it is deliberate and earnest. It is not tied down
to a fixed timetable; rather it is a state which endures by night and
day.
Our soul
should be directed in God, not merely when we suddenly think of
prayer, but even when we are concerned with something else. If we are
looking after the poor, if we are busy in some other way, or if we
are doing any type of good work, we should season our actions with
the desire and the remembrance of God. Through this salt of the love
of God we can all become a sweet dish for the Lord. If we are
generous in giving time to prayer, we will experience its benefits
throughout our life.
Prayer is
the light of the soul, giving us true knowledge of God. It is a link
mediating between God and man. By prayer the soul is borne up to
heaven and in a marvelous way embraces the Lord. This meeting is like
that of an infant crying on its mother, and seeking the best of milk.
The soul longs for its own needs and what it receives is better than
anything to be seen in the world.
Prayer is
a precious way of communicating with God, it gladdens the soul and
gives repose to its affections. You should not think of prayer as
being a matter of words. It is a desire for God, an indescribable
devotion, not of human origin, but the gift of God's grace. As Saint
Paul says: we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit
himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.
Anyone who
receives from the Lord the gift of this type of prayer possesses a
richness that is not to be taken from him, a heavenly food filling up
the soul. Once he has tasted this food, he is set alight by an
eternal desire for the Lord, the fiercest of fires lighting up his
soul.
To set
about this prayer, paint the house of your soul with modesty and
lowliness and make it splendid with the light of justice. Adorn it
with the beaten gold of good works and, for walls and stones,
embellish it assiduously with faith and generosity. Above all, place
prayer on top of this house as its roof so that the complete building
may be ready for the Lord. Thus he will be received in a splendid
royal house and by grace his image will already be settled in your
soul.
From the Homilies of St. John Chrysostom (Homily 6, On Prayer).
No comments:
Post a Comment