Prayer and converse with God is a supreme good…
February 19, 2024
Dear Family of Mary!
Today I want to share with you an excerpt from an astonishingly beautiful homily by St. John Chrysostom. St. John describes the glory of prayer!! It continues to take my breath away. Since Our Lady has called us to prayer, I think this homily will help us respond to her call:
From a homily by John Chrysostom, bishop
(Supp. Hom. 6 De precatione: PG 64, 462-466)
Prayer is the light of the spirit
Prayer and converse with God is a supreme good: it is a partnership and union with God. As the eyes of the body are enlightened when they see light, so our spirit, when it is intent on God, is illumined by his infinite light. I do not mean the prayer of outward observance but prayer from the heart, not confined to fixed times or periods, but continuous throughout the day and night.
Our spirit should be quick to reach out toward God not only when it is engaged in meditation; at other times also, when it is carrying out its duties, caring for the needy, performing works of charity, giving generously in the service of others, our spirit should long for God, and call him to mind, so that these works may be seasoned with the salt of God’s love, and so make a palatable offering to the Lord of the universe. Throughout the whole of our lives we may enjoy the benefit that comes from prayer if we devote a great deal of time to it.
Prayer is the light of the spirit, true knowledge of God, mediating between God and man. The spirit, raised up to heaven by prayer, clings to God with the utmost tenderness; like a child crying tearfully for its mother, it craves the milk that God provides. It seeks the satisfaction of its own desires, and receives gifts outweighing the whole world of nature.
Prayer stands before God as an honored ambassador. It gives joy to the spirit, peace to the heart. I speak of prayer, not words. It is the longing for God, love too deep for words, a gift not given by man but by God’s grace. The apostle Paul says: “We do not know how we are to pray but the Spirit himself pleads for us with inexpressible longings.”
When the Lord gives this kind of prayer to someone; he gives him riches that cannot be taken away, heavenly food that satisfies the spirit. One who tastes this food is set on fire with an eternal longing for the Lord: his spirit burns as in a fire of the utmost intensity.
Practice prayer from the beginning. Paint your house with the colors of modesty and humility. Make it radiant with the light of justice. Decorate it with the finest gold leaf of good deeds. Adorn it with the walls and stones of faith and generosity. Crown it with the pinnacle of prayer. In this way you will make it a perfect dwelling place for the Lord. You will be able to receive him as in a splendid palace, and through his grace you will already possess him, his image enthroned in the temple of your spirit.
(St. John Chrysostom!)
I have no words! This homily is heavenly, celestial, full of grace, straight from the Holy Spirit!!!! Read it many times, it will continue to fill you with awe at the gift of prayer!
Here is a message from Our Lady that echoes St. John’s homily:
October 2, 1986
“Dear children!
Today again I am calling you to pray.
You, dear children, are not able to understand
how great the value of prayer is
as long as you yourselves do not say:
‘now is the time for prayer,
now nothing else is important to me,
now not one person is important to me but God.’
Dear children,
consecrate yourselves to prayer with a special love
so that God will be able to render graces back to you.
Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Our Lady is such a wise mother. She knows exactly how to help us begin to love prayer just as St. John Chrysostom loved prayer. This is exactly what we need in these days!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
(c) Mary TV 2024
