PART ONE
I was a priest for several decades before I made a serious effort to teach people to pray at a deep personal level. I did this as an extension of my regular Bible session. To my surprise, I lost many participants. On reflection, I should have seen it as a probable outcome.
This kind of more mature prayer is only possible when we change the focus. God must replace ourselves as the center of our lives. Now, we are not asking God for favors to satisfy our desires. We are basically asking God to change our desires. We are moving from our kingdom of personal security, privilege and abundance to God’s kingdom of service, reconciliation and love. Many good people are not ready for this change. This entry into deep personal prayer demands a conversion, a letting go that different people experience at different stages of the Christian journey.
Thomas Merton and Teresa of Avila will be the source of the definitions of deep personal prayer that will be used in this series of reflections. For Merton, a Trappist Monk who was one of the great spiritual teachers in 20th century America, “prayer then means yearning for the simple presence of God, for a personal understanding of God’s word, for knowledge of God’s will, and for the capacity to hear and obey God”. Teresa says prayer “is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him we know loves us.”
All prayer must raise our awareness of God’s loving presence. Humility is the all-important foundation of prayer. The Bible is the most privileged way to encounter with God’s word. The experiences of our life also are often rich sources of God’s loving presence leading to prayer. The engagement with God’s word leads us to God’s will, a call out of our selfishness to generosity and love toward God and others.
Listening is the key in this prayer. New insight of God’s will guides our way of living with a new openness to humility, service and love. Teresa of Avila, one of the great Carmelite teachers of prayer, points out that this dialogue involves engagement with one we know loves us.
When I use the description of deep personal prayer, it can include several types of prayer: vocal, mental, meditation, Lectio Divina, and contemplative prayer. One common thread in all is a specific personal effort to pray at a given time. This distinguishes this prayer from spontaneous prayer which can happen any time such as walking the dog, reading, or watching a movie. Deep personal prayer demands a discipline to pray regularly no matter how we feel. It might start out as only fifteen minutes a day but with commitment and generosity it will grow and slowly transform our lives. It leads us in a journey of love whose final goal is to be totally in love with God.
