Category: Lectio (Page 23 of 32)

The spiritual offering of prayer

March 22, 2016 / MSFriend / 1 Comment

Spiritual offering

In my post of March 3 Prayer is the offering in spirit I shared the words of Tertullian, priest. I promised to share some thoughts – so here they are.

“God is a spirit, and so he looks for worshipers who are like himself.” God is a spiritual being and so expects us to relate in the same manner. How we relate is through prayer! How we pray is up to us – whether we recite a prepared prayer (our own or one taught by the Church), whether we “shoot from the hip”, whether we contemplate, meditate or just sit silently in His presence. I don’t think God cares as much about how we relate as He does about whether we do it wholeheartedly. There are different levels of spiritual maturity and so not everyone will pray in the same manner. God’s ultimate desire is for us to be in right relationship with Him.

The first paragraph that touched me from Tertullian’s treatise was this one: since God asks for prayer offered in spirit and in truth, how can he deny anything to this kind of prayer? How great is the evidence of its power, as we read and hear and believe.

“Prayer offered in spirit in truth” – honest to goodness heartfelt pleas and praise – that’s what that means to me. To sit without thoughts or distractions, in His presence believing that He is listening and believing that He loves you unconditionally and has your best interests at heart. THAT is when prayer has the power – the power to comfort, strengthen and heal!

“How can he deny anything to this kind of prayer?” Isn’t that comforting? Our God is an awesome God. He loves us more than we can imagine. He answers the prayers we offer in spirit and truth.

“How great is the evidence of its power as we read, hear and believe” – I’ve believed in the power of prayer since I was a little girl – watching my mother pray fervently for so many things and seeing God take hold each and every time. She believed in a higher power and she was confident He would come through for her each time and He did. She never ceased praising Him, knowing that all good things come from Him.

Tertullian writes about how we’ve read, heard and believe in the evidence of its power. How true that is! So many books have been written about the power of prayer – the power of a praying wife, the power of a praying mother, the power ……..We’ve heard in many different circles of the power of prayer. Scripture itself tells us: where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. How awesome is that! I know I preach about the power of prayer every chance I get because I’ve experienced it myself, in the past and just recently. But it’s not enough to just read and hear about it. We MUST believe in its power. Colossians 4:2 tells us: devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving. If you have any doubt about the power of prayer, I would recommend you keep a prayer journal. Write your prayers in the journal each day and check back every once in a while to see HOW those prayers have been answered. I can guarantee you will doubt no more and your awareness of God’s goodness and grace will increase. It will change your life! You may have to keep a gratitude journal as well!

As I look back on my life and the prayers I’ve offered in spirit and truth, I realize how much God has heard and answered the prayers I’ve offered earnestly and wholeheartedly for others and in communion with others! Never underestimate the power of prayer! God bless you!

Prayer is the offering in spirit

March 3, 2016 / MSFriend / 1 Comment

Angels pray!

Prayer is the offering in spirit that has done away with the sacrifices of old. What good do I receive from the multiplicity of sacrifices? asks God. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams, and I do not want the fat of lambs and the blood of bulls and goats. Who has asked for these from your hands?

What God has asked for we learn from the Gospel. The hour will come, he says, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. God is a spirit, and so he looks for worshipers who are like himself.

We are true worshipers and true priests. We pray in spirit, and so offer in spirit the sacrifice of prayer. Prayer is an offering that belongs to God and is acceptable to him; it is the offering he has asked for, the offering he planned as his own.

We must dedicate this offering with our whole heart, we must fatten it on faith, tend it by truth, keep it unblemished through innocence and clean through chastity, and crown it with love. We must escort it to the altar of God in a procession of good works to the sound of psalms and hymns. Then it will gain for us all that we ask of God.

Since God asks for prayer offered in spirit and in truth, how can he deny anything to this kind of prayer? How great is the evidence of its power, as we read and hear and believe.

Of old, prayer was able to rescue from fire and beasts and hunger, even before it received its perfection from Christ. How much greater then is the power of Christian prayer. No longer does prayer bring an angel of comfort to the heart of a fiery furnace, or close up the mouths of lions, or transport to the hungry food from the fields. No longer does it remove all sense of pain by the grace it wins for others. But it gives the armor of patience to those who suffer, who feel pain, who are distressed. It strengthens the power of grace, so that faith may know what it is gaining from the Lord, and understand what it is suffering for the name of God.

In the past prayer was able to bring down punishment, rout armies, withhold the blessing of rain. Now, however, the prayer of the just turns aside the whole anger of God, keeps vigil for its enemies, pleads for persecutors. Is it any wonder that it can call down water from heaven when it could obtain fire from heaven as well? Prayer is the one thing that can conquer God. But Christ has willed that it should work no evil, and has given it all power over good.

Its only art is to call back the souls of the dead from the very journey into death, to heal the sick, to exorcise the possessed, to open prison cells, to free the innocent from their chains. Prayer cleanses from sin, drives away temptations, stamps out persecution, comforts the fainthearted, gives new strength to the courageous, brings travelers safely home, calms the waves, confounds robbers, feeds the poor, overrules the rich, lifts up the fallen, supports those who are falling, sustains those who stand firm.

All the angels pray. Every creature prays. Cattle and wild beasts pray and bend the knee. As they come from their barns and caves they look out to heaven and call out, lifting up their spirit in their own fashion. The birds too rise and lift themselves up to heaven; they open out their wings, instead of hands, in the form of a cross, and give voice to what seems to be a prayer.

What more need be said on the duty of prayer? Even the Lord himself prayed. To him be honor and power for ever and ever. Amen.

taken from Divine Office by Tertullian, priest

Again, one of those things I came across this morning in prayer that I felt I needed to share! Ponder this today, maybe do a lectio divina – what part of this pops out at you, on what part does your mind linger? What do you think that particular part means, in general? How do you think it is speaking to you personally today? What is your prayer as a result of it? I’m going to do the same today and share my thoughts in a later post. I would love to hear your thoughts – share them in the comments! Thank you in advance and God bless you today and always!