“Personal prayer is the meeting place between the Eternal One and me; the Blessed Sacrament is the visible sign of my covenant with him.
That is why I believe in personal prayer, and why everyday I wait to meet him in Eucharist. To pray means to wait for the God who comes.
Every prayer-filled day sees a meeting with the God who comes; every night which we faithfully put at his disposal is full of his presence.
And his coming and his presence are not only the result of our waiting or a prize for our efforts: they are his decision, based on his love freely poured out.
His coming is bound to his promise, not to our works or virtue. We have not earned the meeting with God because we have served him faithfully in our brethren, or because we have healed up such a pile of virtue as to shine before Heaven.
God is thrust onward by his love, not attracted by our beauty. He comes in moments when we have done everything wrong, when we have done nothing…when we have sinned.”
– Carlo Carretto, The God Who Comes
#AGuideToPrayer
What strikes me most about this reflection on God and prayer is the humility and grace it evokes and presumes. Particular, the emphasis on God keeping his promises to us – that being a stronger force for how and when and why he makes himself known or acts in or through us. This perspective helps undermine prideful piety and controlling attitudes meant for good.
Prayer is more than dialogue and listening, more than wanting or waiting for answers. It can also be about hoping and seeking, coming to terms with God’s promises, submitting to them, and attending to the means of grace he has made available, the mystery, the agape, the beautiful communion.
Daily prayers are good and helpful, even keeping the divine hours or as St Paul insists, without ceasing. But in our work, rhythms of life, our schedules, our busyness, what is the space I make for myself to be present before the God who has come, is coming, and will come again?
In my spirit, with my mind, through my body, I can cultivate habits that aid me in experiencing life Eucharistcly. As the wind blows, so does the Spirit; my communion with the Lord is fueled by his love for all that he has made. It is never just me and God; his loyalty to me is tied up in his commitment to fulfill his promises to renew all things. Saints from ages past and those yet to be born, those around the world and throughout my neighborhood – and sinners whom God loves redemptively – these are all who Our Father works to keep his promises, always, unceasing, faithfully. Prayer is built on trust, even when as small as a mustard seed.
