Mary with the Child Jesus in the Temple

(Luke 2: 22-33)

“Mary and Joseph were struck by everything that was being said about Jesus when they took him to the Temple in Jerusalem for the first time. Churches are hopefully sacred spaces where the communication with God is encouraged, but God is not confined to places of worship. When we enter a church, hopefully, we are willing and ready to listen to what God has to say to us. However, God speaks in many different ways and uses many forms. Often our time of prayer can seem very dry or distracted, and we can think that God has nothing to say to us, but in fact, God will communicate with us outside the time of prayer. In order to receive what God wants to give us we must remain on God’s wavelength throughout the day. Our time of prayer is an encounter with God, no matter what it feels like. It is this daily meeting with God that tunes us in and makes us sensitive to what God is saying throughout the day. All great sportsmen and women practice a lot; without the arduous practice they would soon lose their touch that makes them that bit special. Without prayer a Christian begins to lose touch with the source of all life, and it becomes more and more difficult to remain open to whatever God desires to communicate.

“There are several new prayer forms that are specifically intended to help people to be open to receive the gift of contemplation. Perhaps the most popular are ‘Centering prayer’ (otherwise known as ‘Prayer in Secret’) and ‘Christian Meditation’. Both use a prayer word, though in different ways. Christian Meditation uses a mantra, that is, the constant repeating of ‘ma-ra-na-tha” (Aramaic for “Come Lord”). The mantra is to be recited silently and interiorly with four equally stressed syllables. Attention is to be given to the sound of the mantra and whenever distractions arise, one is to return to the mantra. Centering Prayer on the other hand, does not use a mantra but a ‘sacred word’ that is, a word that is sacred to the individual. The sacred word is not repeated constantly like a mantra, but is used only when you find that you are engaged with any thought, in order to reiterate your intention to consent to the presence and action of God in your life. It is silent and is the symbol of your fundamental intention.

“Teachers of both these forms of silent prayer suggest that it be used twice a day for twenty or thirty minutes each time. However, anything is better than nothing, and only you can decide how much time you can spare.”

My reflection:

Teresa of Avila is a master teacher on prayer. For her, prayer is first of all a relationship of love, an intimate conversation between friends. We have to work at creating and developing this relationship between ourselves and God. On our part, this means we need to change our lives. Personal transformation is a major component of true prayer. The bottom line is we must live in accord with God’s will.

Teresa has a program to help with this personal transformation. She teaches us that we have to develop the virtues of humility, detachment and personal charity for others. She shows how these virtues are essential for growth in our prayer. At the same time, our prayer is absolutely necessary for progress in these virtues. There is a mutual dynamism between our prayer and our virtues.

The practice of humility, detachment and charity brings an order into our lives. This regularity facilitates and supports our prayer. Humility is the truth. We are able to see ourselves stripped of all illusions and deceptions. Detachment lets us see all creatures with an appreciation that they either help or obstruct our pursuing God. Finally, charity helps us to share God’s love for all, the central teaching of Jesus in the gospels.

All three virtues help us in the re-focusing of our life from one of self-centeredness to putting God at the center. This is the personal change that is the goal of prayer. It enriches and expands our relationship with God. Prayer is always about life and the way we live in accord with God’s word and God’s will.

This personal transformation is a process. Prayer encourages us all along the way. A major aspect of this personal growth is the increasing development of our humility, our detachment and our love for our sisters and brothers.

We pray to grow in the likeness of Christ. This enlivens and expands our relationship with God. This is possible because of self-knowledge which comes from humility. This allows us to accept ourselves as sinners but sinners who are forgiven and called to life by an all-merciful God.

Likewise, we are detached. Prayer slowly draws us out of our attachments and addictions. This misleading reliance draws us into all sorts of things and relationships that are less than God and even into idolatry. This acceptance of the false gods of comfort, privilege and exaggerated self-interest expands our self-absorption. This leads to great distortions thwarting our way on the pilgrimage to God.

Finally, we grow in love by continually expanding our circle of inclusion and forgiveness. Charity is the proper acceptance of others. The log in our eye is dealt a fatal blow so we see with a new vision of forgiveness and compassion. For Teresa, love for our brothers and sisters is the measure of our spiritual growth. The inner journey is validated by our relationships with others. Love is the essential condition for movement towards the center where God awaits.