More Patient Prayer during Adoration in Medjugorje
(c) Mary TV
Dear Family of Mary!
“…Return, little children, to prayer and open your hearts in this time of grace and set out on the way of conversion…” (June 25, 2020)
Return to Prayer, Part 2! Fr. Slavko continues to help us to return to prayer:
Sometimes we feel that we have gone into many intense dimensions of prayer, but still have not found the joy or patience of which Our Lady speaks. St. Augustine was looking for Jesus once and became desperate. Then in prayer Jesus told him, “You would not be able to look for me, if I was not already with you!” This can only be understood in the atmosphere of love. The logic of love is that you never feel close enough and always feel far away!
Most of the time our feelings and dispositions during prayer control what we do while in prayer. We forget the real reason for being in prayer. We look at prayer as a function or a chore. For example, when we feel that we cannot say the Rosary, we then all to quickly decide that we should leave. Instead of leaving and thus being physically absent, even if we do not say one word, we should stay. It cannot be emphasized enough how important it is to just ‘be in prayer’ with God.
Often when we are with someone we love; we do not need to say one word to that person. All we want is to just ‘be’ with him. The time spent with that person is ‘enough’ for us. So, we can say that silence is the ‘language of love’ for God. It is through our silence and ‘being’ with Him that we express total, pure and unconditional love for Him.
Prayer is a decision to just be with God the way we are right now. We pray because God has called us to be with Him. This is the only way we can come to know God. Many people know of God, but do not know God or His love. Mirjana, one of the visionaries, has the special mission of praying for the intention of all nonbelievers. We know those are people who do not believe that God exists. However, this can also include those people who know God exists, but who do not know or have never experienced His love. We should then recognize that this also includes ourselves at given times in our lives!
May times our heart and soul can be distanced from God and be far away. This can go on for an entire lifetime with some people. We can be considered nonbelievers during this time, in one sense of the word. Our Baptism does not ‘guarantee’ that we will be the Christians that God has intended us to be. It cannot be emphasized enough that the primary act in prayer is to ‘be’ with God. This to ‘be’ in His Majestic Presence, is His will for us.
Our Lady is coming to us to teach us how to pray and how to be with God. She tells us to look for God because we love Him, and not because of our desires. She also tells us that PRAYER IS JOY. We cannot live or exist without prayer. Jesus told us we should pray and everything else will be given to us. Prayer is an encounter with God. God is the One who is always giving. So many times, we ask for trivial things in our lives and we disregard what is truly important. We end up having neither the time nor the space for what is really important, which is living in the center of God’s will.
Silence and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament are two key responses to God’s wish that we pray. The most important thing is to remain in silence in order to hear God’s voice and what He has to say to us. In Adoration, many things can take place without us realizing it, such as, the healing of memories, wounds and sufferings. Sometimes we think that God and Our Lady are not answering our prayers. This is because we have occupied all the lines here on earth – constantly bothering Him and asking for things. We must learn to let go and totally give ourselves to God. In AA groups, there is a well-known expression that says, “Let go and let God.” There will always be fear from within when we do this act of total surrender to Him, but we must do it! (Fr. Slavko Barbaric, “Be Similar to my Heart”. P. 36-38)
Let go and let God!! That is real surrender! In fact, what Fr. Slavko is telling us fits very well with our Surrender Novena from Fr. Dolindo. If we want to truly enter into prayer, we must surrender ourselves completely to God, and trust that He will take care of everything. Then our petitions fall away, and we have time to be with God in an embrace of love!
Part 3 from Fr. Slavko tomorrow!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
Mary TV 2020
