Facing Temptation in Prayer

Facing temptations in prayer Prayer is friendship with God. Friendship takes time talking, listening and just being together. But it certainly takes one on one time and focused attention. Vocal prayers like the Our Father and Hail Mary, and personal prayers of petition in which we turn to Our Father for all we need are good. But if we stop there, it is not much of a friendship. We would not call it friendship if the only time we communicate was to ask for something. If the only time you call me is when you want something from me – I will stop answering and I will not consider you a friend. Friendship with God is more than talking and asking. It takes time in relationship – listening and just being together. Yet too often we do stop at the stage of talking and asking and we don’t go on to deeper friendship. Do you long for a greater intimacy with God? The CCC points out different temptations that lead us to fail to develop a deep friendship with Jesus in prayer. CCC 2732 The most common yet most hidden temptation is our lack of faith. It expresses itself less by declared disbelief than by our actual preferences. When we begin to pray, a thousand labors or cares thought to be urgent vie for priority; once again, it is the moment of truth for the heart: what is its real love? Sometimes we turn to the Lord as a last resort, but do we really believe he is?  Do we really think God is only our last resort rather than our greatest desire? The Catechism is hitting hard. It is confronting us with the most damning temptation to prayer: the temptation that I may pray, I may turn to God when I need things, but I do not turn to him because I want him. In fact it is my wanting everything but Him that prevents me from prayer. What is really at the root of my struggle to spend more time in solitude talking to God, listening to Him and just being with him in silence and stillness?  Please do not misunderstand. Vocal prayer is good, but it is just the first of nine stages of friendship with God. I want you to go on to the second stage, meditation. Meditation is to go on from talking to listening to God by reading and reflecting on his life and words in Scripture and then puts them into practice by a daily resolution. Jesus said as much in the Sermon on the Mount:  'It is not those who say to me, "Lord, Lord", who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?" Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men!' 'Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Matthew 7:21-24 The Mother of God has asked us to pray the Rosary every day. That is why I do it. The Rosary is a combination of vocal prayer and meditation. We listen to something from the Word of God, the Deposit of faith comprised of Scripture and Tradition, and then we reflect upon it while we say the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be and the Fatima prayer. So it’s a good combination of stage 1 and 2 of intimacy with God. Now I am encouraging you to increase your relationship with Jesus, if you are not already, by spending additional time in friendship with Him in a form of Catholic Meditation that will prepare you for the third stage – Affective Prayer – because I want you to reach infused prayer, contemplation, the beginning of heaven on earth. Meditation can be broken down to 3 simple steps – 3 R’s  Read something from the Bible or from the Tradition, some good writing from a Saint or a spiritual author. As soon as something profound strikes you – stop reading.  Reflect or Think about what struck you  Try to understand what you read Apply it to your life Draw practical conclusions for yourself Talk over all of this with Jesus in your mind and heart.