Do You Struggle to Find Time for Prayer?

(Luke 10:38-42). Jesus tells us in plain language: Only one thing is necessary, a deep friendship with Him; spending time alone with Him; talking to Him, listening to him in meditation, and just being with him in silence.

If you ask anyone what the bare minimum amount of time for a good conversation with a friend over coffee or a beer unanimously they say at least 30 minutes. If we want a friendship with Jesus we should give Him no less every day.

If we cannot, then we are addicts

If we will not, then we really don’t want a relationship with God.

I think the addictions to the routines of your life are preventing you. You can’t break these addictions in an instant. But you can make one small break in your routines which will free up the log jam and the next steps will follow. What is one small change you can make in your routine to enable you to have more time with Jesus in friendship: maybe  go to bed earlier, get up earlier, spend less time on the phone or computer or TV and then spend that time in friendship with Jesus?

Prayer is friendship with God: it is talking, listening and just being together. This corresponds to the three major expressions of prayer:

• Vocal prayer - speaking to God;
• Meditation – listening to God;
• Contemplation – just being with the One who loves us

Now, it is not difficult to speak to God – but it is more difficult to listen to him. By listening we mean first, the prayer of meditation.

The Catechism suggests two forms of meditation: Lectio Divina (reading and reflecting on the Bible or some writing of a saint or spiritual author); and secondly, the Rosary

This Rosary Podcast is a great way to do daily meditation

Regardless of the Method all Meditation includes 3 Simple Steps

Read or Listen to something from the Word of God which means something from the Bible, or a saint, or a good spiritual writer

Reflect or Think about what struck you

• Try to understand the passage; observe what is going on or being said and ask questions.
• Relate or apply it to your life
• Draw conclusions that fit your life
• Talk over all of this with Jesus in your mind and heart

Form a Resolution

• Choose something practical and concrete to remember or to do today based on your      meditation
• Write down your resolution and keep it with you
• Put it into  practice

St Francis De Sales on the importance of a resolution:

The most important thing of all is that you cling firmly to the resolutions you have taken in meditation so as to practice them carefully. That is the great fruit of meditation, without which it is often not only useless but harmful. Why so? Because the virtues upon which we have meditated but not practiced sometimes puff us up so much in mind and heart that we think we are already what we are resolved to be which no doubt is the case if our resolutions are solid and ardent. But when, on the contrary, they are not practiced, they are useless and dangerous. (Introduction to the Devout Life, II Chap 8)

In the Reported Message of Our Lady in Medjugorje on July 25, 2019 she exhorts us to perseverance in Prayer
“Dear children! My call for you is prayer. Prayer will be joy for you and a crown that binds you to God. Children, the trials will come and you will not be strong and sin will reign but if you are mine, you will win because your refuge will be the Heart of my Son Jesus. Therefore children, return to prayer so that prayer becomes life for you, day and night. Thank you for having responded to my call.”