On Personal Prayer

A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer OFS

Personal prayer brings us closer to God. No matter how busy we are, we must make time for prayer! Our Lord is calling us to participate in His life of Grace, for prayer is a gift from God. Prayer is a conversation, and Jesus is constantly looking for a few good people he can talk to, and who can talk to him. That means everyone! This is a gift that keeps on giving. Prayer enriches and at the same time makes us humbler for accepting a gift. His Gift, the gift of one so holy and precious that we cannot really refuse Him for long.

Some people make it a personal challenge to evade the grace of prayer. They begin with negatives, to express why prayer isn't what they thought it would be. Yes, it takes effort, but it is effort well spent. Jesus is so accessible and yet so very far away. Find opportunities to get closer to God rather than further away. "There for the Grace of God go I," - without God, I would be nothing! There are so many ways in which to pray, to have this conversation with God. There is the Ignatian method of prayer, that is reading passages of Holy Scripture and meditating on what you have read.

There are Psalms - 150 of them, and many people pray these psalms as one would as a priest, deacon, religious and also as a lay Franciscan. We call it the "Liturgy of the Hours" prayed from early morning to night. The beauty of these prayers is to pray all day long. Yes, they are structured prayers to be sure, and there comes a time during the day that we long for personal prayer... a quiet moment between God and ourselves. Just the two of us! Don't forget the Rosary ... a set of prayers that comes from God for us to use.

Just the two of us! What that means is a two-way conversation and that only happens when we give God the opportunity to answer our prayer. Give and Take! Prayer is not a solo exercise! Prayer is a sign of a relationship and it takes two to relate. God and ourselves. But some of us do not pray much, we work and work, and there never seems time. Why do we run from prayer? Why are we uncomfortable facing Him face to face? One word: Sin. We are uncomfortable looking God in the eye because we are aware we have done wrong.

Do you serve God with all your heart, all your mind and all your strength? In the Gospel according to St. Luke (10:27) Jesus told us, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." This is the first and greatest commandment, and commandments are to be obeyed. We know, therefore, that getting to know Jesus better is a slow process. It takes time to realize that we do sin, and that this sin must be stopped. When we make that concerted effort to do something about our lives, God will call upon us again. There is help in books. Take a book by Peter Kreeft "Prayer: The Great Conversation" - it's writting in a conversational way as a discussion - you'll get a lot out of it. It was published in 1991 by Ignatius Press.

We could indeed be too busy for many things, and yes, we have to prioritize our day - in order to make time for prayer. If you think you can do so any old time, you'll never pray! Make time for God! It'll save your life! Your everlasting life. And it is so simple. When we awaken, say Good Morning, Jesus, and make the sign of the Cross. That's a prayer! When we begin breakfast, ask the Father to bless the food from His bounty and thank Him for that gift. That's a prayer! Then when you step into the car to drive to work, school or some other place, say a prayer that you'll get there safely, and that others who are traveling will get there safely. That too, is a prayer!

Silently, as you walk toward the conference room to begin a discussion with your peers at work, ask God for His blessings on your work and to stay with you - another prayer! And so it goes all day long. If you are a homemaker or retired, you'll know where to pause for prayer. Do it before washing dishes, running the vacuum, visiting with friends, but also set aside a few minutes of time to pet your dog or cat. The attention you give to your dog, to your brother and sister, to your friends and neighbors is in reality a prayer, too.

Where I live I am not permitted to have pets. I sorely miss the company of a little dog, having had dogs in our family as a young lad. Petting a dog calms us down, makes us think of the grace God gives to those who have domestic animals in the house. Makes us thankful to share the animal for a few moments, makes us grateful for God's grace and love.

When you pray like that during the day, often, you get into a habit of seeking God's Presence! Not just once or twice but we can seek him out all day long. I hope you do. For one thing, you will never feel lonely because we know He is always near us, hoping for another conversation. Prayer is a gift that keeps on giving. The more we pray, the closer our relationship will be with God. And when we are that close, we drive out sin. And God is watching! When we do not sin, we love Him and He loves us back. You know, He always loves us because God is love! By loving Him, we say, Yes Lord. Amen. Amen. We agree wholeheartedly.

We are just one week away from the celebration of Christmas. I'm not talking about the twinkling lights that hang from the window, covers some bushes, or some artificial reindeer with a red nose - those are nice for the kids and challenging to neighbors - but they do not bring us closer to Jesus. To get close to Jesus, He has another Gift for us. He shares of his Body and Blood, so that we may be fed with his Word and Grace, with His love and so that we may love Him with our whole heart, mind and soul. Praise God!

May your Christmas be bright and beautiful, blessed and holy. May it be the beginning of a new relationship, a relationship sealed with prayer, a relationship that will last for all time to come. He will give you courage and joy to give His love to others. Please do so often!

Peace and Good Will to all!

Fred Schaeffer, SFO

December 18, 2009, republished April 20, 2020

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