Month: June 2024

I waited all day for my friend to call. I had helped her out the day before by resolving a matter that was causing some stress.

I knew she was relieved about the outcome … almost jubilant. I was thrilled to have helped her. I smiled to myself early in the day, as I thought about the call and conversation that would surely come.

But she never called.

So I waited throughout the next day – checking several times to make sure my phone was working and checking email to see if she’d perhaps sent an email instead.

Nothing.

And then I thought about Jesus, and all the amazing things He does to prepare and redirect and resolve things unseen that move around us every day, making our way easier and better. We feel happy when things turn out well. Maybe we celebrate with a special meal or by taking some time for ourselves.

Do we spend time in the silence with Jesus, thinking about the role He plays in every goodness we receive? There is always at least one drop of goodness in each day. Do we stop to thank Jesus each day?

In the Gospel of John, Jesus has this to say:

“’I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.’” John 15: 5

In these verses, Jesus confirms that He IS the source of all goodness and mercy, and that He wants to work with us and through us. As we keep returning to Jesus, He fills us with even more goodness and love that we can then share with others.

Jesus waits for us to keep returning to Him.

As I thought more about my friend and about Jesus, both of whom I love, I made a promise to take more time to be present with friends and loved ones – and in particular, to be more intentionally present with Jesus.  

Jesus loves us so deeply. We know from the words of the New Testament writers how much Jesus loved his disciples, family and friends.

Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun and an apostle of Divine Mercy, recorded these beautiful words from Jesus in her Diary, after spending time with Him in Eucharistic Adoration:

“Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My Merciful Heart, and I will fill it with peace. Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls.”¹

Thank you, Jesus, for loving us.

¹Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul (Massachusetts: Marian Press, 2020), Verse 1074, page 404.

“This world is a great sculptor’s shop. We are the statues and there’s a rumor going around the shop that some of us are someday going to come to life.”  

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity 

The thought of creating a habit of daily prayer can feel overwhelming. So many things compete for our time and attention. How can we find time to get alone with God in the silence?

It can be particularly tough to pray when we are in the midst of a problem. And yet it’s when we feel at our lowest that we need prayer the most!  

There are times when we don’t even know how to ask God to help us.

This is when we should sit before Him, in the silence. St. Paul tells us that in these moments, the Holy Spirit intervenes for us, helping to make our needs known to the Father:

“The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And He who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8: 26-27.

I love that last phrase about the “Spirit interceding for the saints.”

We are all made in the image of God. (Genesis 1: 26) By design, we are all created to be holy men and women, and to become saints. Do we understand this?

It is so beautiful to observe holiness in each other:

“He appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth forever.” 2 Chronicles 20: 21

That phrase – “the beauty of holiness” – can be easy to miss! What does it mean?

“Holiness” translates the typical Hebrew word used for “holy.” As such, it conveys the concept of being “set apart.”

The Hebrew word for “beauty” carries an idea of intrinsic beauty or worth that is not shallow. Said another way, this kind of beauty does not pass away.

Therefore, “the beauty of holiness” describes the intrinsic attractiveness of “set-apart-ness.”

God wants us to recognize the beauty of holiness that exists in each of us.

Daily prayer helps us to know and share that beauty with the world.

When we are silent before the Lord, the most amazing things are revealed to us.

“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” – Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta

From early childhood, St. John Paul II understood the necessity of a life of deep personal prayer. He understood that while prayer was good in and of itself, it was also the essential foundation for meaningful and happy lives.

St. John Paul II prayed constantly throughout the day. He also worked extremely hard and accomplished seemingly impossible things as a young priest and ultimately, as the 263^rd successor of Peter, as Bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church. 

Prayer offers us a direct line to God. As we begin each day, we have no idea what we will encounter. Some days are easy for us; other days are incredibly difficult.

Prayer is a decision to stop and listen for the Voice of Jesus. Very often, prayer involves placing our worries and cares before the Lord. God is always there waiting for us, with tenderness and restfulness:

Jesus said, “’Come to Me, all who labor and are weary, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am gentle in lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.’” Matthew 11: 28-30

Sometimes, prayer involves simply calling for Jesus, and then waiting silently for Him. Prayer creates space to hear what Jesus wants to share about our current circumstances. Jesus knows exactly what we need and what we can accomplish, if we work with Him:

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want; He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake.” Psalm 23: 1-3

Prayer can also be an expression of gratitude or worship of the Lord.

One of my favorite prayers is “The Angelus,” a short practice of Catholic devotion to help us reflect on the mystery of God taking human form through Jesus and to celebrate Mary’s role in the history of salvation. The prayer – which is meant to be said three times a day, usually  at 6 a.m., Noon, and 6 p.m. – is a simple way to practice pausing throughout the day, to draw nearer to God.

There is so much that God wants to show and tell us.

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done to me according to Your word.

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

And the Word was made flesh: and dwelt among us.

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech You, O Lord, Your grace into our hearts that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Your Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His passion and cross be brought to the glory of His resurrection, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Note: French artist Jean-Francois Millett completed the oil painting featured above and titled “The Angelus” between 1857 and 1859. The painting hangs in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France.