Prayer

“Prayer is nothing but being in the family, being one with the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.”

-Saint Mother Teresa

Reflection:

Through pondering Mother Teresa this week and reading her words, I noticed how integrated Mother’s life was, and truly, how much Mother relied on prayer.

Mother was called to the begin the Missionaries of Charity and serve the poorest of the poor because of her union with God, and her contemplation of Jesus’ thirst for her and the whole world.

And so, because Mother’s purpose in life was contingent upon union with God and quenching Jesus’ thirst, everything in her life revolved around maintaining and deepening this union.

How is one to maintain this union? Mother Teresa teaches us that prayer is the simple secret. To Mother, prayer was often difficult, and sometimes she didn’t even feel as though she knew how to pray. However, prayer was conversation, union, and friendship with God! It was out of this love that Mother “showed up” to her meeting with God every day, throughout the day. And through this willingness of Mother, God outpoured grace and love giving Mother the ability to pray, which in turn gave her the strength to do her work in love.

As a student, I often feel that my entire day is devoted to studying and learning about the Lord, or how to serve Him in the world. Often I find myself getting caught up in the work though, that I forget I need to take time to be or spend time with the Lord in attentive silence and listen and give Him my heart as I would to my most beloved friend.

So! Prayer is not about great words, but rather a giving of oneself in love, an intentional offering of one’s heart and mind to God.

Challenge: Take 10 minutes every day and be with God, offering Him whatever is in your heart and mind.