St John of the Cross said, “The language that God hears best is the silent language of love!” Prayer is an attitude of the heart, not words. Prayer is a longing for communion with our God who is love, and if words help that longing then so be it.
As a small boy growing up in Proserpine, Sister Leo shared with us that beautiful story of the French farmer. Each day, the farmer would make his way to the back of the parish Church and sit in the last pew and look up at the large crucifix behind the main altar. One day, the parish priest asked him, ‘What do you do when you come here each day?’ The farmer replied, ‘I look at him and he looks at me!’ Prayer!
Today’s Gospel has so much wisdom in it. Firstly, Jesus was praying! He was a person of prayer. He needed to commune with his Abba, Father God. He needed to listen deeply for the whispering of God’s Spirit within him. Secondly, the disciple asks Jesus to teach them to pray, just as John had taught his disciples. John the Baptist – he too was a person of prayer. The prophet prays! The prophet prays so it is NOT about them and building their Kingdom but about God and God’s Kingdom.
Edwina Gately, who walked with prostitutes working the streets of Chicago, wrote:
Be silent, be still. Alone, empty before your God. Say nothing. Ask nothing. Be silent, be still. Let your God look upon you. That is all. God knows, God understands, God loves you with an enormous love, and only wants to look upon you, with that love. Quiet, still, be. Let your God love you!
If we can embrace the essence of what Edwina writes about – we have mastered the art of prayer!
by Br Damien Price cfc