Office of Readings Friday 8th. Feb 2008 - Discourse on Prayer

[BarbaraTherese]

Office of Readings, Friday 8th. Febraury 2008, Second Reading:

universalis.com/20080208/readings.htm

A homily of Pseudo-Chrysostom
Prayer is the light of the soul

The highest good is prayer and conversation with God, because it means that we are in God’s company and in union with him. When light enters our bodily eyes our eyesight is sharpened; when a soul is intent on God, God’s inextinguishable light shines into it and makes it bright and clear. I am talking, of course, of prayer that comes from the heart and not from routine: not the prayer that is assigned to particular days or particular moments in time, but the prayer that happens continuously by day and by night.

This passage, I dont think, is to denigrate the routine of formal prayer…rather to give it it’s foundation - the silent prayer of the heart longing for God and to praise and thank Him.

Indeed the soul should not only turn to God at times of explicit prayer. Whatever we are engaged in, whether it is care for the poor, or some other duty, or some act of generosity, we should remember God and long for God. The love of God will be as salt is to food, making our actions into a perfect dish to set before the Lord of all things. Then it is right that we should receive the fruits of our labours, overflowing onto us through all eternity, if we have been offering them to him throughout our lives.

This prayer, I think, is aspirational prayer when the soul turns to The Lord for short moments during the day and often raising the heart and mind to Him in some way - perhaps to praise and thank Him, to ask Him some favour, to ask for His Strength, etc. etc.
The fruit of prayer is not some sort of “experience”, rather it is a life lived in the spirit of the beatitudes, a life of virtue and growth in virtue. If one is prayerful it does not mean that one never falls, but when one does, one immediately turns to God asking His Mercy. The soul is sorrowful at failure (humility keeps it unsurprised), but does not give up, rather renews its efforts. All these are the fruit of a prayerful life.

Prayer is the light of the soul, true knowledge of God, a mediator between God and men. Prayer lifts the soul into the heavens where it hugs God in an indescribable embrace. The soul seeks the milk of God like a baby crying for the breast. It fulfils its own vows and receives in exchange gifts better than anything that can be seen or imagined.

This, again I dont think, is anything actually experienced consciously ( some mystics may do so) - rather it describes what is actually happening though one may be unaware of it, nor is it necessary to be aware for it to be a reality. There are some who long for, even strive for (uselessly) “experiences” and this can be some deeply ingrained spiritual fault, perhaps a lack of humility, even ‘spiritual greed’. It certainly is to fail to appreciate that Divine Providence, God’s Will, is forever with us in the Present Moment.

Prayer is a go-between linking us to God. It gives joy to the soul and calms its emotions. I warn you, though: do not imagine that prayer is simply words. Prayer is the desire for God, an indescribable devotion, not given by man but brought about by God’s grace. As St Paul says: For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself intercedes on our behalf in a way that could never be put into words.

A prayerful life, again, is seen in its fruit - in the peace and joy of the soul finding its desire is always in God’s Will. We cannot always perhaps actually feel this desire…at times I must struggle against myself and with difficulty to find my joy in God’s Will and most often it is a joy in the will, not something actually felt…as I struggle and experience difficulty striving to be resigned and love not my will but God’s.

If God gives to someone the gift of such prayer, it is a gift of imperishable riches, a heavenly food that satisfies the spirit. Whoever tastes that food catches fire and his soul burns for ever with desire for the Lord.
To begin on this path, start by adorning your house with modesty and humility. Make it shine brightly with the light of justice. Decorate it with the gold leaf of good works, with the jewels of faithfulness and greatness of heart. Finally, to make the house perfect, raise a gable above it all, a gable of prayer. Thus you will have prepared a pure and sparkling house for the Lord. Receive the Lord into this royal and splendid dwelling — in other words: receive, by his grace, his image into the temple of your soul.

For my soul to burn with desire for God I need strive, as it states above, for modesty and humility, with justice and good works and with faithfulness and a courageous heart. In other words a life of virtue and the works of Mercy. I need be faithful to prayer whether it is my formal times of prayer, my private prayer, or my aspirational prayer at moments during each day. In this way I prepare a "fitting dwelling place for The Lord’.

I can recall when I first began to set aside times for prayer…that it was difficult and felt (feelings again:shrug: ) false in my day accustomed as I then was to my day being filled with some sort of activity. With perseverance prayer became habitual and an intrinsic part of my day and completely natural and normal and I felt loss if for some reason prayer times were omitted.
Habit, which can be a terrible master, can also serve and be a jolly good servant - but for habit to become habitual it takes persevering in repetitive actions, thoughts, words etc…and this can either contribute negatively or positively to my way of living. It can develop a good or a bad habit.
Grace builds on nature.

Blessings - barb

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Feelings are important, they are part of being human and God’s gift to our humanity. However, they are distorted through Original Sin, so that sometimes they are helpful and good, sometimes not. To know the difference I need that wisdom and balance that only The Holy Spirit brings. Devotion to The Holy Spirit is a wondrous matter I think - a truly wonderful gift worth asking for. “Lord, increase my Faith to life always in Your Spirit to the Father’s Glory. Amen”.