Pray Always

03-17-2024Pastor's LetterFr. John Bonavitacola

Dear Friends,

Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving these three legs hold up our Lenten disciplines and support and encourage our spiritual growth. Prayer is one of those non-negotiables that has to be part of every disciple’s life. Just as with Fasting we don’t need a diet plan but need some discipline (that’s what makes us a “disciple”) with prayer we need no workshop or seminar just a commitment to do it!

First what is prayer? The old definition still works well: the lifting of the mind and heart to God. Simple. Yet we often distort prayer or reduce it to a superficial demand. For instance many times we pray the “Let’s make a Deal” Prayer. God is Monty Hall and we are bargaining with him: if you do this I will do this”. This is usually a recipe for disappointment. Or we pray the “ In Santa’s Lap Prayer”: we sit and give God a list of things we want and are expecting from him to be delivered on time. In this we of course discount the fact that God knows better what we need than we do ourselves. “What father would give his son a stone when he asked for bread?” Then of course there is the “Kidnapper’s Prayer”: God if you don’t do this You will not see my face again”. Somehow God is not held hostage to our prayers.

If you are just a beginner at prayer or trying to get into a prayer routine remember not to bite off more than you can chew. Too often we start with great intentions and they fizzle out because we frustrate ourselves by taking on more than we are ready for. So rather than starting with an hour of prayer a day try doing it well for 10minutes. After you get the discipline down you can add to it incrementally. In this way you will be training yourself for a regular daily time of prayer that stretches well beyond Lent.

Here is a prayer I offer for your consideration this Lent. The Litany of Humilty is a rather dangerous and challenging prayer. So pray it at your own risk. It really gets down to the heart of the matter. It allows us to focus on God, rid ourselves of selfish ego pursuits which blind us to our true selves, corrupt our image of God and prohibit us from discerning the difference between our will and God’s will between happiness and misery.

O Jesus meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver, me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver, me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase, and I may decrease,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

(Composed by Cardinal Merry del Val, d.1930)