Episode 2672: Cultivating a Life of Deep Prayer - Morning Episode

Today, we delve into the heart of authentic prayer and contemplation, especially as it relates to our journey towards union with Christ. In our busy world, it’s easy to lose sight of what prayer is meant to be a deep communion with the Lord rather than just a series of words to be completed. Drawing inspiration from saints and Scripture, we’ll explore how to pray with the heart, truly encountering Jesus and allowing His life to transform ours.
As we start, let’s reflect on a powerful insight from Blessed Columba Marmion:
"When we contemplate the sufferings of Jesus, He grants us, according to the measure of our faith, the grace to practice the virtues He revealed during those sacred hours."
This reflection sets a tone for how we should approach prayer not merely as a duty but as a gateway to the transformative love of Christ. When we enter into Christ’s passion and His life through prayer, He imparts to us the very virtues He displayed: patience, humility, and sacrificial love.
1. Encountering Christ through Contemplation:
The traditional Catholic view of prayer emphasizes contemplation, which is often a quieter and slower form of prayer. It’s not simply about reciting words, but about allowing Christ to draw us into the mysteries of His life, death, and resurrection. In his wisdom, Blessed Columba Marmion encourages us to meditate on Christ’s sufferings, not just to remember what He endured, but to gain the strength to imitate Him in our lives.
When we contemplate Jesus’ agony, we gain the grace to carry our own crosses. When we meditate on His humility, we receive the grace to resist pride. Contemplative prayer transforms us from within, allowing Christ’s virtues to flow into our hearts.
2. The Temptation of Too Many Words:
In our desire to pray well, sometimes we fall into the trap of saying too much. Dan Burke and Connie Rossini warn us about this:
"When we have too many vocal prayers to say, our goal easily changes to getting them done instead of praying them well. They become less, rather than more, contemplative. The Holy Spirit might be moving us to linger silently on the meditation of a mystery, but we feel that we can't stop or we will never fit all our prayers in. So we find ourselves working against the Holy Spirit...We forget that the very purpose of prayer is communing with the Lord."
Traditional Catholic spirituality invites us to slow down in prayer, allowing room for silence. Silence makes space for the Holy Spirit to move within us, to guide our hearts, and to help us hear the voice of God. When we feel prompted to stay with a particular meditation or line of Scripture, that is often where God wants to meet us. It’s here that prayer becomes truly transformative, for we’re no longer rushing through our devotions but engaging in a profound dialogue with our Creator.
3. True Life is Found in Christ:
As we reflect on the importance of entering deeply into prayer, we’re reminded by the words of St. John in Scripture:
“And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12).

This passage from 1 John reminds us that eternal life is more than just something we hope for after death; it’s a present reality rooted in our relationship with Jesus. Prayer is the means by which we “possess the Son,” by entering into an intimate, life-giving relationship with Him. True life, the kind that will sustain us into eternity, is found only when we are in communion with Christ. If we pray without opening our hearts to Him, we risk missing the very purpose of prayer.
Possessing the Son means that in our prayer lives, we actively choose to draw close to Jesus, seeking His will, sharing our burdens with Him, and allowing Him to speak to us. This is the testimony that Jesus offers eternal life to those who are united to Him.
4. Practical Steps for Deepening Our Prayer Life:
So how can we begin to pray in a way that truly nourishes our soul and brings us closer to Jesus? Here are a few practical suggestions:
Prioritize Quality Over Quantity: Rather than focusing on the number of prayers, focus on the depth with which you pray. If you feel drawn to spend more time meditating on a mystery or a single verse, let the Holy Spirit guide you.
Allow for Silence: Start your prayer time by sitting in silence, inviting the Holy Spirit to lead you. After you pray each decade of the Rosary or recite a prayer, take a moment to pause and reflect on what God might be saying to you.
Contemplate the Passion: Take time to meditate specifically on the sufferings of Jesus. This can be through the Stations of the Cross, reflecting on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, or simply reading a Gospel account of His passion. As Blessed Columba Marmion suggests, Jesus grants us the grace to practice His virtues as we contemplate His sufferings.
Be Open to the Holy Spirit’s Prompting: If you feel moved to stop, to ponder, or to pray in a new way, follow the Holy Spirit’s lead. Authentic prayer is about a relationship, so let the Spirit guide that relationship, even if it means changing the way you usually pray.
Conclusion:
Let us close with a prayer, asking Jesus to deepen our devotion, draw us into true communion with Him, and to help us live with Him as the center of our lives.
Prayer:
Sacred Heart of Jesus, we come before You seeking to deepen our prayer and to enter into true communion with You. Grant us the grace to approach You with reverence, silence, and love. Help us to pray with the heart, not just with words, so that we may draw closer to Your Sacred Heart.
Lord, grant us a horror of sin, a desire for holiness, and a deep love for Your will. Let us meditate on Your sufferings, that we may imitate Your virtues. We ask that the Holy Spirit fill us with the grace to hear Your voice, that we may follow wherever You lead.
O Jesus, may we possess You as the source of our life. Grant that our prayer be true, our devotion sincere, and our lives a reflection of Your love. Draw us into Your Sacred Heart and keep us close, that we may one day see You face to face in the glory of eternal life. Amen.