“The soul that stops praying stops loving Jesus Christ. Prayer is the holy furnace in which the fire of holy love is enkindled and kept alive.”
Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) in Lent and Easter Wisdom from St. Alphonsus Liguori, comp. Maurice J. Nutt (Liguori: Liguori, 2011) 101.
How is the discipline of prayer changing you this Lent? Has the shift taken place yet? About this time in Lent I find something happens within me. Having set aside special time for prayer for many days in a row, I find that even though it’s a feast day, when I can rest from my disciplines, that I don’t want to stop. I want more time with the Father in prayer.
Paul exhorted the Thessalonians church (and us) to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Why cherish prayer? Prayer is the pathway to communion with God by the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ our Lord. Sit with someone today and talk about your lenten experience so far. Finish these sentences: In prayer, I am learning… When I fast, I find… In giving, I discover…