What do you think of when you put Bibles, candles, incense, and a gong together? Prayer - prayer together with others; silent prayer, Liturgical prayer, but all of us together learning to contact the Lord in whatever way He is drawing us. God does use some of these props to get us to quiet down and listen to Him in prayer. Some people love to have an icon to gaze on or music to listen to or perhaps they stare at the flame of a candle; others prefer to sink deep into silence. I am one of those most of the time and close my eyes to go deep into the Heart of Christ for prayer. However, I also love to ponder the Scriptures; I also have enjoyed some liturgical rites and suggest different helps to directees but really it is a question of allowing ourselves to be drawn into the stillness of God and rest in His Heart. He gives us all that we need: new energy, deep peace, quiet joy, and surrounds us with unconditional love.
Why then do we often put off or postpone prayer or resist the call to pray with others or with ourselves? I suspect it is because we do not realize how important prayer is to our relationship with God. We procrastinate about everything (at least I think I am often a great procrastinator) and lose precious moments of union with the Lord. Maybe this is part of Lent: to let the Lord draw me into the prayer of His Heart. To take time to go deep into the inner stillness where I always find God. Let us pray for one another as prayer is a treasure of great value to be used to connect our lives with God who waits for us to turn to Him; He draws us gently but firmly.
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