Daily Prayer

 

Day 12,  Leave the crowd, go to a lonely and secret place to pray, as Jesus did!

  We should leave the crowd to receive grace of God in its fullness. Jesus never wasted the time even for a minute serving his Father. After finish the preaching; he leaves the crowd and goes to a lonely place for prayer. ‘After sending the crowds away he went up into the hills by himself to pray.’ (Matt. 14: 23) Jesus went alone to pray. We need the personnel prayer for the union with God. In the Morning and Evening; Jesus done the personnel prayer according to the Fathers’ will. ‘In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house and went off to a lonely place and prayed there.’(Mk. 1: 35) Our Lord has given us so many examples of prayer life by his own way of life. He prayed and fasted for forty days in the desert and was tested by Satan. ‘Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days being put to the test by the devil. During the time he ate nothing…………’Satan knew he was hungry and he tempted Jesus and asked him, ‘if you are Son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Scripture says: Human beings live not on bread alone.’ Lk. 4: 1-13 He prayed fervently even he was tested by Satan but he didn’t fail in anything. When he has chosen the apostles, he prayed whole night lonely in a mountain. He chose the apostles after long hours of prayer.  ‘Now it happened in those days that he went onto the mountain to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. When day came he summoned his disciples and picked out twelve of them; he called them apostles.’ Lk. 6: 12-13

Daily Prayer

 

Day 11. Prayer is the key to open the house, which our Lord prepared for each one of us. 

  Our Lord is inviting us to find our secret place, the castle which God has given us. Let us pray with a humble and wailing heart. The intensity of tears and in the fullness of love of God is the invitation, to be alone with Him in silence. The tears are the blessing from God those whom love Him and make themselves humble in front of God and men. We should be like beggars in the presence of God like Lazerous sitting in front of the gate of a rich man’s house. This will happen, when we humble ourselves and produce the wholesome virtue of holiness. Then we start producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  “Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self control.” Gal. 5: 22. This is the way prayer goes and prayer is always to be filled with the love of God. 

  Jesus already made the castle or house for each one of us when he resurrected and ascended into heaven. But we have to be qualified for that according to His will. The first thing we have to do is pray, pray and pray!!! Prayer is the key to our castle which God has prepared for us. Prayer is the union with God and the oneness with Him. Pray to our Lord for the holiness with a contrite heart.  “But my eyes always are drawn to the person of humble and contrite heart and those trembles at his Word.” Is. 66:2. There is no other way to approach the divine door of Kingdom. That’s what Jesus says: ‘In my Father’s house there are many places to live in; otherwise I would have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you……….’Jon. 14: 2-3. Each castle will be different according to the measure of our faithfulness.

Daily Prayer

 

Day 10

Lord, let Your love embrace us in our prayers

  God will put so many beautiful things in the castle which St Therese of Avila explained in her Book of Interior Castle. When we pray, be humble in front of our Lord, then we cannot imagine how it will please us with a tremendous joy in our heart. How marvelous the joy and pleasure will be, when it will strengthen us. We will overcome all the temptations, persecutions and all kind of tribulations. Jesus’ love will make us happy in our life; nothing will be more important than the work of His Will. This will be our eternal asset which no one can steal from us. St. Paul says: ‘But what were once my assets I now through Christ Jesus count as losses. Yes I will go further: because of the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, I count everything else as loss.’ Phil. 3: 7-8. When we start to explore the prayer and union with Him, God’s glory will shine in the whole Castle. Our heart  and mind will multiply with tremendous light of all eternal virtues. Then we will experience the beauty of Heaven in holiness by our way of life in Christ.

Daily Prayer

Day 9, Lord, make us humble to reach Your House 

Prayer the Hidden Castle

  Prayer is like a soul searching for her castle as St. Theresa of Avila describe about. God has made for each one of us a castle to stay in union with Him. How can we approach this castle? By humility and holiness we find our room in Heaven. That’s what Jesus says: “In my Fathers’ house there are many places to live in; otherwise I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you.”Jon 14:2. Jesus himself says about this castle and the special place which he already prepared in his Spirit. The soul will understand this by the grace of God. Without His grace we cannot do anything. God’s presence will be there to save His children and mould them according to their faithfulness in Him. Our faithfulness should be tested by fire. ‘but each person's handiwork will be shown for what it is. The Day which dawns in fire will make it clear and the fire itself will test the quality of each person's work. 14 The one whose work stands up to it will be given his wages; 15 the one whose work is burnt down will suffer the loss of it, though he himself will be saved; he will be saved as someone might expect to be saved from a fire.’ 1Cor. 3: 13-15. 

Daily Prayer

Day 8, ‘Lord Jesus, Son of God, am a sinner, have mercy on me!’

  Our Lord is inviting each one of us to be with Him and to trust in Him. He will cover us with his warming love. But he is asking one condition that is to make us humble like him. ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are over burdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’ Mat. 11: 28-30. How our worries and troubles will be lighter? When we make ourselves gentle and humble like Jesus is!! ‘Lord Jesus! Son of God, am a sinner have mercy on me.’ Matt. 16: 16, Matt. 20: 31. This is a universal prayer or an anti-phone to recite repeatedly as a prayer. So many saints of past from Eastern countries used this prayer in their daily life. This prayer which made a great impact on them in their spiritual life.  It was made them humble themselves and they experience tremendous repentance.

  “Prayer is a go-between linking us to God. It gives joy to the soul and calms its emotions. I warn you, though: do not imagine that prayer is simply words. Prayer is the desire for God, an indescribable devotion, not given by man but brought about by God’s grace. As St Paul says: For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself intercedes on our behalf in a way that could never be put into words.” From A Homily of St John Chrysostum 

Daily Prayer

 Day 7, The sacrifice of Eucharist is our Eternal Food

  The most valuable and precious act of prayer is the Holy Mass. In this prayer of sacrifice which Jesus himself made for us the greatest of all mysteries, which is the body and blood of our Lord. The sacrifice of Eucharist is our eternal food. The Eucharist itself is the Word of God which became flesh. Attending and participating in the Holy Mass is an eternal gift God promised through His New Covenant. God’s love proclaims the secrets of this mystery which is essential in our religious life. His humility and gentleness made this ultimate gift possible for us to make our body and soul capable to stay in His Heavenly Kingdom. Jesus says about this: ‘Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and will raise that person up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and blood is real drink.’ Jon. 6: 54-55. Jesus himself is waiting for each one of us in the Holy Eucharist; to pray along with him to pay the homage to our Heavenly Father. We can experience the love of Jesus; when we pray daily in front of the Blessed Sacrament. It is very important for the growth in our spiritual life. Those who do the Holy Hour will be strengthened in the Holy Spirit. They will be filled with the knowledge and wisdom of our Lord. 

How David adored the Ark of the Covenant which is symbolizing the Eucharist. ‘He praise God and dance in front of the Ark of The Lord, very reverently, the bearers of the ark of Yahweh had gone six paces, he sacrificed and ox and a fat sheep. And David danced whirling round before Yahweh with all his might...... Thus with war cry and blast on the horn, David and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of Yahweh.’ 2 Sam. 6:13-14. 

Daily Prayer

 Day 6. Lord, teach us how to pray in silence 

  During the Sunday Holy Mass on 2nd October a Priest from Switzerland, in his homily he told about the prayer in silence. He said ‘Silence is a beautiful virtue to be alone with our  Lord Jesus. This is the way of contemplation we all should experience. We are having beautiful and a great Cathedral in Abu Dhabi to pray in silence. Lord will visit us in our silence. I remember the word of St Mother Therese of Calcutta. She says: the fruit of silence is the prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is Love, and fruit of Love is peace, and the fruit of peace is service. When we do any service for the Lord and his people, you all should start from the bottom. Let us try to have that silence which will make us able to hear the voice of our Lord. If we fail the silence, will fail in all other virtues; the prayer, faith, love and peace of Christ, we will fail to do the service the mission for the Lord. If we find time to pray 30 minutes in front of the Blessed Sacrament we will see the difference in our spiritual life. Jesus also was doing the prayer alone in the silence before any mission he carried out. We could see many political turmoil in many countries.  We can see the wars between countries for unimportant reasons. Pray for others whom are in sufferings, those in persecutions and in many other difficulties. Today is my 8th year anniversary of my priest hood. My spiritual father told me to spend 30 minutes personnel prayer in front of Blessed Sacrament. Since I became priest I never fail to do this act of prayer in silence till today. I invite you all to pray this way in your daily life, you will bless by God!” We should find the silence in our daily spiritual life to spend alone with Christ.