An Opportunity for Deep Personal Prayer
KEEPING OUR FOCUSED ON JESUS
Part Two
For St. Teresa of Avila, it is the personal encounter in following Jesus that unveils the loving mercy of God. This gift has its privileged communication in deep personal prayer. Prayer is always her top priority. For this Carmelite saint, the prayerful encounter with Jesus constantly stands at the center of our pursuit of God, the final desire of the human heart.It is right at this juncture that the genius of Teresa can be a great help. She is called the mother of spirituality. She offers us the challenge of addressing a few fundamental steps to grasp the call of personal authenticity that is central to any spirituality. First, we need to grow in self-knowledge that leads to humility. We then accept the consequences of this emerging insight: the interplay of our personal limits and the mercy of God. This is all done in prayer, which she describes as a conversation with someone we know loves us. Keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus nurtures this development. This is the story of the disciples. This is our story if we are open to the call.
“Who Do You Say That I Am?”
Few lessons of the gospel are more important than to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Walking with Jesus goes beyond the teachings of the church, beyond reading the Bible, beyond any devotions or other favorite religious expressions. Following Jesus is at the heart of faithful spirituality. Following Jesus turns our lives upside down. Following Jesus is the same today as it was in the day of the disciples. It calls us out of comfortable hiding places and takes us “where you do not want to go” (John 21:18).
We are invited to ponder the wonder of his compassion. We are asked to enter the stories. It helps to see ourselves as the persons who benefit from his many miracles.
In this way, like the disciples, we are led to the critical question: “Who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29). There is no question more crucial in our life. Who is Jesus for us?
For the disciples and us, the consequences this ultimate pursuit come slowly. We are on the road, but our encounter with Jesus is always partial and incomplete. Our relationship with Jesus always comes at a price, and a price that continues to escalate. At the heart of the encounter with Jesus is a transition— moving from our vision for happiness, from our priorities, to the new world of Jesus’ vision and call. This conversion process repeats itself many times as we remain faithful with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem. Prayer leads to an ever-expanding awareness of God’s will.
A new and deeper experience of prayer, flowing from these conversions, empowers us to live in a way that is progressively guided by God’s will. Our weakness is exposed dramatically. This struggle gradually reveals that the story of our life is the story of God’s mercy. Eventually it calls us into the lifegiving struggle to say no to all that is not God.
The four Gospels, in all their diversity, finally bring us a picture of Jesus which is a mirror for us. We look at Jesus and see what is most authentic about ourselves. We are children of God, loved and forgiven. In his exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis describes the joy and beauty of discovering our true selves when we respond to Jesus’ call.
“The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step toward Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms. Now is the time to say to Jesus, “Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with you. I need you. Save me once again, Lord. Take me once more into your redeeming embrace.” (The Joy of the Gospel: #3)
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