Friday the 13th -Miscellaneous Day

I read in the Little Black Book for Lent (inspired by the late Bishop Ken Untener) that the Catholic Church is credited with popularizing the tradition of fish fries on Lenten Fridays.

Here are a few quotes that fit a miscellaneous day:
"Prayer is simply opening oneself to the presence of God and letting the rest happen."

"Contemplation is simply being in the presence of God and knowing it."

"I should bring to mind some of my enemies. Then I should turn to the Lord and ask, 'How do you relate to these people?' Then the Lord and I need to have a talk.

These are from the Little Black Book but here is a longer meditation that I like:

Taken from an excerpt from Catherine Doherty on Prayer ( March Magnificat, pp. 70-71)

Desire, Prayer, and Love

“This business of desire is very important. Man usually follows his desires. Do you really desire to pray? Do you desire to live the Gospel? If I desire I will usually fulfill my desire. We desire all kinds of things but unfortunately we don’t desire that which we need so much: prayer and loving presence….

“It is our tremendous responsibility to live the Gospel. There are treatises on prayer everywhere, all complicated stuff. But prayer is a simple thing. It is a love affair between God and you, and you don’t have to explain it. If you love God no explanation is needed. You have a boyfriend, you talk to him. You don’t have to write out all that the boyfriend said and all that you said; it’s not necessary. The same thing with prayer. Prayer is a love affair and it is prayer that gives us strength to live the Gospel. But the question is: do we want to? The majority say that it is an impossibility and yet if we lived the Gospel the world would change. Isn’t that funny—your power, you and me, ordinary people, small people—we can do it. We have the power to change the world. But we refuse to live as Christ said we should live.

Prayer is conversation with God. It does not require a thousand books. It requires a simple and tremendous love of God and a total simplicity. I am beloved by God. He created me. This is the first idea. And he wants to be loved by me. We have to get that into our heads. Then we proceed to tell him we love him.”