Making Time for Prayer

Prayer is probably one of the most difficult parts of any spiritual life.  It’s so simple but so demanding.  It takes discipline, patience and most importantly, faith.  As the Church celebrates the feast of St. Teresa of Avila, a doctor of the Church and a great mystic, it seemed fitting to write about prayer.

St. Teresa said that those who don’t pray commit something like soul-murder.  How’s that for strong words?  For her prayer is an indispensable way of getting to know God.  The way to understand how much God does for us and therefore our dependence on Him (a concept much lost on many in today’s world).

I went to Adoration this morning and it was just such a relief to talk to and see Jesus.  I needed so very badly to just rest in God for a little while.  Life gets so busy sometimes that we feel like we don’t have time for prayer, or that the extra 15 or 30 minutes of sleep is more important.  But the funny thing about prayer is that the more we pray, the more we realize just how much we need it.  We start to see how much it affects our relationship with God, our efforts towards holiness, and our love for others.

Part of the problem is that when we’re not praying we usually don’t feel the effects of our lack of prayer.  It’s usually only once we get into the habit of praying that we begin to feel the ramifications on the days where we don’t make time for it.  But while getting into the habit can be really difficult, it’s so worth it!  It’s a sacrifice whose reward can’t even be put into words, because how do you explain the transformation that occurs when every day in prayer you open yourself to God and let Him mold your heart?

I love the way Teresa of Avila phrases it, “Don’t be discouraged at the many things you must consider before setting out on this Divine journey, which is the royal road to Heaven.  By taking this road we gain such precious treasures that it is no wonder that the cost is so high.  Eventually we will realize that everything we have paid has been like nothing at all in comparison with the prize’s greatness.”

St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us!

See Also: The Struggles of Spiritual Growth

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1. The Point of Praying for Others — December 19, 2011 @ 5:31 pm

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