To Fr. Jacques Philippe’s Time for God

A Prayer Companion

Fr. Erik Arnold

A Prayer Companion

To Fr. Jacques Philippe’s

Time for God

Fr. Erik Arnold

Copyright © 2021 St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church and Rev. Erik Arnold

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church 689 Ritchie Highway Severna Park, Maryland 21146 www.stjohnsp.org

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the following sources:

New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Revised Standard Version of the Bible—Second Catholic Edition (Ignatius Edition) Copyright © 2006 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

“My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life; when can I enter and see the face of God?”

Psalm 42:3

“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”

St. Therese of Lisieux

Introduction 9 ............................................................................................

How To Use This Prayer Companion 10 ............................................

Preparing Your Heart 17 .........................................................................

Day 1 20 ......................................................................................................Intimate, Loving Communion with God

Day 2 22 .....................................................................................................Perseverance!

Day 3 24 .....................................................................................................Inevitable Difficulties

Day 4 26 .....................................................................................................Grace, Not Technique!

Day 5 28 .....................................................................................................It Doesn’t Depend On Human Effort

Day 6 30 .....................................................................................................God’s Initiative

Day 7 32 .....................................................................................................Freedom!

Day 8 34 .....................................................................................................This Is For Everybody

Day 9 36 .....................................................................................................Receiving The Gift

Day 10 40 ...................................................................................................Faith in God’s Presence

Day 11 42 ....................................................................................................Faith That All Are Called To A Life of Prayer

Day 12 44 ...................................................................................................Faith That Prayer Is Always Fruitful

Day 13 46 ...................................................................................................Faithfulness > Quality

Day 14 48 ...................................................................................................Purity of Intention

Day 15 50 ...................................................................................................A Trap From the Devil

Day 16 52 ...................................................................................................A Second Trap

Day 17 54 ....................................................................................................Humility of Heart

Day 18 56 ...................................................................................................Putting Up With Your Weaknesses

Day 19 58 ...................................................................................................Determination to Persevere

Day 20 62 ..................................................................................................Prayer Is the Soil

Day 21 64 ...................................................................................................The Trap of Not Enough Time

Day 22 66 ..................................................................................................The Trap of Feeling Guilty

Day 23 68 ..................................................................................................The Trap of Calling Work Our Prayer

Day 24 70 ..................................................................................................The Trap of False Sincerity

Day 25 72 ..................................................................................................The Trap of False Humility

Day 26 76 ..................................................................................................A Total Gift to God

Day 27 78 ...................................................................................................Leaving Your Own Self Behind

Day 28 80 ..................................................................................................Prayer Is A Lifestyle

What Now? 82 ..........................................................................................

Appendix I 83 ...........................................................................................Five Steps of Scriptural Prayer

INTRODUCTION

You were made for an intimate, loving communion with God. Your heart feels this longing, and it’s confirmed every time the world and your daily activities leave you dry, unsatisfied, and restless. You were made to be in a loving relationship with God.

Prayer is the act of pursuing what our hearts long for and were made for. Prayer is acting on our thirst for love. It’s the seeking out of the One who can quench our thirst for love and finally bring rest to our restless hearts.

It sounds beautiful. But we also know that prayer can be a hard, confusing, and oftentimes, an uncertain thing. So we tend give up, like a traveler who, thinking he has made a wrong turn, doesn’t want to venture any further lest he only become more lost.

Knowing that reality, Fr. Jacques wrote his book, Time For God, as a simple, easily accessible guide for those who wish to grow in their life of prayer without giving in to the discouragement and struggles that inevitably accompany it.

This Prayer Companion to Time For God is designed to help encourage and move readers of the book into actual times of prayer. It is designed to help them put what Fr. Jacques teaches into practice, and to be encouraged not to give up as they step out on the path of prayer.

You were made for an intimate, loving communion with God. No matter how many times you may have sought after it and given up, the Lord always encourages us anew, saying:

“‘In an acceptable time I heard you,      and on the day of salvation I helped you.’ Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day

of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2)

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HOW TO USE THIS PRAYER COMPANION

This Prayer Companion is designed to accompany Fr. Jacques Philippe’s book, Time for God (specifically Chapter 1). It is not a replacement for his book, nor will it be very helpful to use this Prayer Companion without a copy of his work since it does not reproduce or quote at length the text of Fr. Jacques’ book. Rather, it directs the reader to the pages of his book, building on what is read there, and uses it as a starting point for daily prayer.

The edition of Time For God that is referred to and whose page numbers are referenced in this Prayer Companion is the following:

Jacques Philippe Time for God: A Guide to Mental Prayer. Scepter Publishers, 2008.

This Prayer Companion will give daily encouragements for prayer drawn from Chapter 1 of his book. The approach is deliberately slow and steady. Each day draws from just one or two paragraphs of Chapter 1, highlighting a significant point and providing a direction for prayer at morning, noon, and night.

The idea is to give us a chance to slowly read, and apply Fr. Jacques’ wisdom to our own prayer life. A good, authentic prayer life takes time. It can’t be rushed or microwaved. But don’t worry, it really is true that good things come to those who wait! You can do

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this, and each day will offer you a practical direction to go in prayer, based on the paragraphs we read from Fr. Jacques that day.

The times of prayer offered here are designed to be simple, clear, and very doable. The most important thing is to leave lots of room for the Holy Spirit. He is the one who teaches us how to pray. He is the one who moves in the depths of our heart, reaching places that no one else can reach. So be as open to the Holy Spirit as you can be.

Chapter 2 of Time for God is more practical as it answers the question, “How To Use Time in Mental Prayer.” Hopefully those who use this Prayer Companion will find that after slowly praying into Chapter 1, they will be ready to then go even deeper with the practical advice Fr. Jacques offers in Chapter 2.

Each day of the Prayer Companion includes the following components:

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The current day of prayer

The title

Which page and paragraph to read in Time for God

A brief, encouraging summary of that day’s selection from Time For God.

Now it gets practical: how do we apply this to our prayer?

Three times of prayer are given for each day. Make use of each of them. This is how we grow the habit of prayer and become more attentive to our hearts and what the Lord is doing.

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Pray through the Scriptures given for each day. Particular encouragements accompany them and give you direction.

The later times of prayer invite you to reflect on and reinforce what you noticed the Lord doing earlier. Deeper insights will accompany these moments as we grow more attentive to the Lord.

How much time should I spend in prayer each day? Like physical exercise, it will depend on whether you are

relatively new or more experienced in prayer. For those just beginning, 4-5 minutes spent in prayer with each of the three times (morning, noon, night) will probably be a good start. Those who are more experienced with prayer can spend more time in each of these sessions.

For those who are just beginning, remember that it’s better to start simple and build up. If you take on too much, too quickly, then you’ll probably find yourself overwhelmed and giving up within a few days. Start slowly, you can do this!

And remember, it’s best to decide ahead of time (the night before perhaps) when you plan on praying the coming day. If we leave it to chance then we probably won’t pray.

I’m used to “saying my prayers” but this looks more reflective. Is it still praying?

Yes! Fr. Jacques is leading us into what is known as “mental prayer,” or contemplative prayer. This is different than “vocal prayer,” which, is mainly praying traditional rote prayers out loud. Mental prayer is a quiet prayer of conversation and communion with the Lord that takes place in the heart. It happens in silence, without many spoken words. If you’re used to vocal prayer as your main form of prayer don’t worry, the Lord made you for something even deeper and he will take you there!

What happens if I follow the directions for prayer each day but I’m still restless, distracted, or it’s hard to focus?

That’s a normal thing, and even the saints often experienced distractions in prayer. This may especially be the case if you’re just beginning to build up a habit of prayer. The best and simplest advice in dealing with distractions is found in the Catechism when it says: “All that is necessary is to turn back to our heart.” (CCC, 2729). Don’t spend too much time swatting after distractions like flies, just keep bringing your heart back to the Lord and refocusing on him. And, of course, do your best to remove the possible distractions that are within your control: turn off the TV, put your phone on silent, etc.

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Do you have any helpful pointers for getting my heart ready for prayer each day?

Yes, please see the section entitled, “Preparing Your Heart.” It includes some helpful tips for getting ready for your prayer times each day.

What if I miss a day? Just pick up where you left off. Don’t throw in the towel or let

discouragement cause you to give up. As we will hear from Fr. Jacques, aiming for consistency with short, daily times of prayer is far better than longer times that only come every once in a while. So if you miss a few days, just keep recommitting and starting over! Don’t give up!

What if I feel like I should spend an extra day or two on a particular theme?

If you sense that the Lord has more to say to you from a particular day’s theme, then, by all means, spend extra days continuing to pray over it. You don’t have to force your way through keeping the exact same schedule in the Prayer Companion. There is a lot of room for flexibility!

If I’m using this during a season like Lent or Advent, does Day 1 of the Prayer Companion have to be done on the first day of Lent or Advent?

No. This guide can be used in a flexible way. Unlike some Lenten or Advent resources that have very specific prayers or readings for each day of the season, this is more flexible. Having said that, if you find it more helpful to begin on the first day of a special season like Lent, then by all means, do what will help you the most.

What if I am ready to go deeper in prayer? If you’d like to go deeper in prayer, then check out the

additional resources in the Appendices. They offer some classic approaches to praying with Scripture drawn especially from St. Francis de Sales. These methods of praying with Scripture can be used with the daily Mass readings, or as you slowly pray through one of the Gospels, etc.

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PREPARING YOUR HEART

A Resource for Beginning Your Prayer Time Each Day Here are some practical encouragements to help you as you begin each day in prayer. Make use of these in your morning prayer time, and if possible, draw from them as you return to prayer midday and later in the evening.

1. Settle into your place of prayer. Offer a short prayer in your own words asking the Holy Spirit to help you open your heart to the Lord and be ready to listen to the Lord in your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you invest yourself in this prayer time and provide the help you need to do your part.

2. Compose yourself for prayer. This is done by placing yourself as vividly as possible in the presence of God (setting aside all else in order to devote the prayer time to God alone). If you have not prayed through the paragraph(s) from Fr. Jacques’ book for that day, then slowly do so now. Pray and read through that day’s selection from your heart, not just from your mind. When we listen with our heart we become aware of the Lord’s movements within us. This is key. Our awareness of what the Lord is doing is necessary so we know how to respond to him.

3. After praying through the selection pause for a moment and then read the short summary and encouragement from the Prayer Companion.

4. Now move into the actual prayer prescribed for the day, following whatever direction or encouragement is given there. Ask for the graces you need to receive whatever the Lord wants to give you today, confident that what you cannot attain on your own, the Lord in his goodness wants to give you.

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5. As you pray with Scripture be as receptive as you can. You might read it once completely and then a second time more slowly, stopping when something touches you. Allow the Lord to speak to your heart. Let any movement in your heart have its way.

6. As you pray and reflect, remember to ponder in your heart, not in your head. The key method in mental prayer is to avoid reasoning about the truths of faith. Instead, dispose yourself to receive the full impact of God’s words and actions in the depths of your being, in your inmost heart. This is where the Holy Spirit loves to move, and where our personal responses should come from.

7. Most days of prayer will invite you to end with some kind of dialogue between you and the Lord. This is designed to help you take something from your prayer time into the remainder of your day. Don’t skip over this part. This is where the Lord’s graces can really begin to take root in our hearts. If there is anything significant you want to hold onto, feel free to make notes or highlight the scripture verse or word where the Lord was speaking most clearly to you. The midday and evening time of prayer will often invite you back to those things so that you don’t lose them.

8. As you end each time of prayer, let it be with heartfelt thanksgiving for whatever the Lord has given you. Even if you’re not fully aware of his actions yet, thank him because he is always at work in our prayer whether we perceive it or not!

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An Overview of Days 1 - 9

PRAYER IS A GRACE GIVEN BY GOD, NOT A TECHNIQUE WE MASTER Days 1 - 9 will lead us in prayer through the Introduction of Time

For God and the beginning of Chapter I. In these pages, Fr. Jacques shares an encouraging vision of the kind of prayer life God wants you to have. He touches briefly on some of the common obstacles we face that often lead us to give up on prayer; and he lets us know that he’s written this short book precisely to help us not give up. So don’t give up!

One of the big obstacles is the misconception that our prayer is primarily the result of human effort and skill. The truth, which Fr. Jacques shares in Chapter I, is that prayer is a grace given by God, not a technique we master. This truth changes everything, if we believe it! So we’ll take the next nine days praying into this and allowing the Lord to work powerfully in our hearts. Get ready!

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DAY 1 INTIMATE, LOVING COMMUNION WITH GOD READ Time with God - Page 7, Paragraph 1

We start with an awesome truth: You were made for an

intimate, loving communion with God. This is overwhelmingly good news! You don’t have to convince God to be interested in you. You don’t have to persuade the Lord to let you draw near to him. He already wants you close to himself. He made you for it and he wants you to have it.

Maybe you never thought this was possible. Maybe you’ve tried in the past but struggled and gave up. Whatever your experience has been, have confidence that the Lord wants you to experience this intimate, loving communion with him.

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Making use of the helpful points in the section “Preparing Your Heart,” spend a few minutes praying over the passage from Romans below. As you pray,

make sure that you listen and ponder with the ears of your heart. There is something the Lord wants to say to you here about his desire to bring you into an intimate, loving communion with himself:

“What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him? What will separate us from the love of

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Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 31-32,35,37-39)

Which verse (or word) most stirred or struck your heart? How would you describe the effect on your heart? (Hopeful? Challenging? Comforting?, etc.) What do you hear the Lord saying to you about his desire to be in a close, loving relationship with you?

During Your Day: Take a minute or two to pause during your day and go back to the verse or word that struck you this morning. Slowly pray over it a few times from your heart. What is

the Lord saying to you in that verse or word about his desire to be close to you?

At the End of Your Day: Go back again to the verse or word that struck you from this morning. Mull it over in your heart for a minute or two. What has the Lord shown you today about his

love? Do you believe it? Talk it over with the Lord for a minute before you go to bed.

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DAY 2 PERSEVERANCE! READ Time with God - Page 7, Paragraph 2

Fr. Jacques’ encouragement for us today is simple: Don’t give

up! You are thirsty for God and feel a desire for an intense, personal prayer life. The Lord wants to bless you with that gift! For your part, on this second day, don’t let obstacles, helplessness, or discouragement keep you from receiving what the Lord wants to give.

What does the Lord want to give you as you meet him in prayer? What blessings does the Lord have in store for you in the days and weeks ahead? Whatever it may be, as Fr. Jacques points out, it goes far beyond what you could ever imagine or conceive. So keep going!

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Making use of the helpful points in the section “Preparing Your Heart,” spend a few minutes praying over the verses below that are referenced in today’s

passage from Fr. Jacques. As you pray, make sure that you listen and ponder with the ears of your heart. There is something the Lord wants to say to you here about perseverance, about not giving up, and about having great expectations.

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted

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the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

“No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

“O taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8)

Which verse (or word) most stirred or struck your heart? How does that verse or word leave you feeling in your heart? (Encouraged?, Hopeful?, Challenged?, etc.) As you move into your day ask the Lord to give you the gift of perseverance in your prayer.

During Your Day: Take a minute or two to pause during your day and go back to the verse or word that struck you this morning. Slowly pray over it a few times from your heart. What is

the Lord saying to you in that verse or word about what he wants or is asking of you in the coming days and weeks?

At the End of Your Day: Go back again to the verse or word that struck you from this morning. Mull it over in your heart for a minute or two. What new strength has the Lord given you today

through his words? Remember that your perseverance in prayer is itself God’s gift. Thank him for however he has encouraged you and strengthened you today.

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DAY 3 INEVITABLE DIFFICULTIES READ Time with God - Page 8, Paragraphs 2-3

Fr. Jacques ends his introduction with an encouragement for us

to persevere “without being overcome by the inevitable difficulties.” So difficulties will come. There’s no avoiding them in the life of prayer. But how do we make sure we’re not overcome by them during these days as we try to grow in prayer? In part by keeping things simple, light, and clear. Like a wise traveler who knows that he shouldn’t pack too much, Fr. Jacques will encourage us with simple, easily accessible teachings that keep us moving on the path of prayer. Let’s keep going!

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Making use of the helpful points in the section “Preparing Your Heart,” spend a few minutes praying over the verse below. As you pray, make sure that you

listen and ponder with the ears of your heart. There is something the Lord wants to say to you here about remaining strong in the face of challenges to your prayer.

“I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33)

“They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength,     they will soar on eagles’ wings;

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They will run and not grow weary,     walk and not grow faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Fr. Jacques says inevitable difficulties will come as we seek the Lord in prayer. Which of the Lord’s words here give you the most comfort or encouragement? Take that word or verse with you in your heart as you go into the day.

During Your Day: Take a minute or two to pause during your day and go back to the verse or word that struck you this morning. Slowly pray over it a few times from your heart.

Remember that his words and promises are true. Remind yourself: “This verse is true. I can count on it.”

At the End of Your Day: Go back once more to the verse or word that struck you from this morning. Whatever inevitable difficulties you may face as you begin this new journey in prayer,

remember that the promise God makes here in this verse will be true for you. Pray through the verse a couple more times, letting that truth strengthen your heart. End your prayer by thanking the Lord for being with you throughout this day.

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DAY 4 GRACE, NOT TECHNIQUE! READ Time with God - Page 9, Paragraphs 1-2

Fr. Jacques begins Chapter I with this great liberating truth:

Christian prayer is not the result of a technique, but a gift we receive. That may sound simple but it will completely change the way we approach prayer! It means the burden doesn’t fall to you to make things happen, or to take the initiative.

So that beautiful, meaningful, and deep life of prayer that you desire will come not because you were able to perfect some technique over the course of years, but because God in his great love for you, has simply offered you this gift of grace. What an amazing difference this makes in our prayer!

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Continue making use of the helpful points in the section “Preparing Your Heart.” As you begin your prayer today, remember that you are not placing

yourself before a great Divine Vending Machine. God is not abstract. The One who wants to bless you with the grace of a good prayer life is your Heavenly Father, who loves you and cares for you more than you can imagine. Spend a moment looking at your Father from your heart. Let him look on you with his warm, merciful, and generous love. Then listen in your heart to these words:

“Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:8)

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“Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31)

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)

Your Father loves you. He wants to give you good gifts, including the gift of prayer and a deep, intimate union with himself. Tuck into your heart the verses or words above that most help you know this is true. Don’t let them go as you move into the day.

During Your Day: Pause during your day for a minute or two and go back to the verse or word that struck you this morning. See your Father look on you with love as you pray over that

verse in your heart. Let your Father speak to you and help you know that good prayer comes not from a technique, but from his freely given gift.

At the End of Your Day: Go back once more to the verse that stood out this morning. As you end the day and long to go deeper in prayer, know that your Father wants to give you that gift

of grace. “Thank you, Father, that good prayer doesn’t come from a technique I have to master, but as a gift from your loving heart.” Amen.

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DAY 5 IT DOESN’T DEPEND ON HUMAN EFFORT READ Time with God - Page 10, Paragraphs 1-2

Fr. Jacques continues to encourage us with this central point: a

good prayer life is a free gift given to us by God, not something we achieve by a technique or method. The good news here is this: You don’t have to cling to methods of prayer that depend ultimately on your human effort. This is wonderfully good news! How awful would it be if every single time of prayer was dependent on your effort alone to make it good, meaningful, or fruitful? We would give up in no time. But thank God that’s not the case. Really, thank God that’s not the case!

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Continue making use of the helpful points in the section “Preparing Your Heart.” As you begin your prayer today, make this act of faith before your

Heavenly Father: “It doesn’t depend on me.” Pray that truth slowly in your heart before the Lord a few times. It’s an act of faith because you’re declaring that you won’t rely on your own human effort in your prayer this morning. You’re going to rely on the goodness of the Lord to provide for you. With that truth firmly in your heart, slowly pray through these verses:

“Not by might, and not by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6)

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“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

“When I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)

There are a lot things in your life that you may try to accomplish by human effort alone, but prayer can’t be one of them. Which of these verses most convinces you of this truth? Take that with you into the day. In moments of struggle today, whether it has to do with prayer or not, go back to that verse.

During Your Day: Find a time to pause during your day for a minute or two and go back to the key verse that most stood out this morning. In light of that verse ask yourself: “Where

in my day, up to this point, have I tried to force or make things happen by my own human effort? Where have I tried to do it with God?” Pray through your key verse again and make this act of faith before your Heavenly Father: “It doesn’t depend on me.”

At the End of Your Day: This is important stuff. Go back to the prayer exercise for “During Your Day” and pray through it as you bring your day to an end. What a joy that the burden of

finding a good prayer life doesn’t depend on our human effort alone. God’s got this.

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DAY 6 GOD’S INITIATIVE READ Time with God - Page 11, Paragraph 1

Good prayer happens because God, in his great love for us,

decides to give himself freely to us. The initiative belongs to God. Yes, we have a role to play in making sure we are disposed to receive the gift. (Most of Fr. Jacques’ book is about what those dispositions of heart look like in order to receive it.) But Fr. Jacques is wonderfully clear when he reminds us: “The whole edifice of the life of prayer is built on God’s initiative and his grace.” It starts with God. That’s good news.

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Prepare your heart to spend a few minutes with the Lord in prayer. Make an act of faith in the Lord’s goodness and love: “Lord, I believe that you love me. I

believe that you are already looking on me with love and have come to meet me in prayer.” With your heart opened before the Lord, pray over these encouraging words from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

#2567 God calls man first. Man may forget his Creator or hide far from his face; he may run after idols or accuse the deity of having abandoned him; yet the living and true God tirelessly calls each person to that mysterious encounter known as prayer. In prayer, the faithful God’s initiative of love always comes first; our own first step is always a response.

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What do you find most encouraging in that quote? What do you find most hopeful? If you’re doubting it as too-good-to-be true, remember what St. Paul tells us about the great initiative God the Father took in loving us:

“God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Even when you were a sinner, before you could do anything good, God took the initiative and sent his Son to die for you. God’s loving initiative is far greater than we can imagine. Slowly pray through that verse enough to let it soak into your heart before you move into your day.

During Your Day: Take a short break during your day and pray through the quotes from the Catechism and the Letter to the Romans again. What is the Lord teaching you about his

loving initiative, especially when it comes to prayer?

At the End of Your Day: As you end your day and meet God in prayer, acknowledge with gratitude that he is already there waiting for you. Thank him for taking the initiative to

love you and call you to prayer:

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” (Titus 3:4-5)

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DAY 7 FREEDOM! READ Time with God - Page 12, Paragraph 1

Because prayer begins with God’s loving initiative, we are free

from having to depend on ourselves. We are also free from thinking that our prayer will come if we just practice enough, or learn certain tricks. Fr. Jacques wants us to embrace the freedom that comes from this truth: It is God alone who can produce good in our souls.

This is wonderfully good news, because “God, who loves us, will carry us infinitely further and higher than we could ever get on our own steam.”

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Continue making use of the helpful points in the section “Preparing Your Heart,” As you begin your prayer today, make this act of faith before your

Heavenly Father: “It doesn’t depend on me.” Pray that truth slowly in your heart before the Lord. It’s an act of faith because you’re declaring that you won’t rely on your own human effort in your prayer this morning. You’re going to rely on the goodness of the Lord to provide for you. With that truth firmly in your heart, slowly pray through this Psalm:

“Who is like the Lord our God,     the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look     on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust

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    and lifts the needy from the ash heap.” (Psalm 113:5-7)

Our Heavenly Father stoops down and raises us up to himself. On our own we could never reach that high. But if we let the Lord do the work, we are carried infinitely further and higher than we could ever get on our own. Spend a minute pondering this Scriptural image before the Lord. Enter into the day with your arms raised up to your Father, ready for him to scoop you up and carry you in prayer.

During Your Day: Pause during your day for a minute or two and pray through the verses from Psalm 113 again. The question the Psalm asks is rhetorical. There is no one else who

stoops down and lifts us up the way the Lord does. Trusting in that, ask him to carry you infinitely further and higher in your prayer than you could ever get on your own steam.

At the End of Your Day: At the end of your day spend a minute opening your heart to the Lord in prayer. He is the one who stoops down and lifts up the needy. Ask him, through the Holy

Spirit, to show you how he did this for you today, especially in your times of prayer. Be grateful for what he did!

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DAY 8 THIS IS FOR EVERYBODY READ Time with God - Page 12, Paragraph 2

Today, Fr. Jacques shares something incredibly encouraging

and hopeful: everybody can have a deep, rich, and meaningful life of prayer. Everybody. This is true because of the main point he keeps coming back to: Good prayer depends first on God, not us.

If prayer were a matter of technique, some people would have a knack for it while others wouldn’t. But prayer isn’t just a technique. It’s a gift the Lord longs to give to each of his children. So we need to push out of our mind the lies that say, “I can’t do this. I wasn’t made for this. I’m not good at this.” As Fr. Jacques says, “Every single person, in accordance with his or her personality, his or her own gifts and weaknesses, can have a deep prayer life.” Wow.

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Open your heart to the Lord in prayer. As you begin your prayer today, make this act of faith before your Heavenly Father: “I believe you are calling me to a

deep life of prayer.” You may need to repeat it a few times for it to sink in. Then pray through these encouraging words from the Lord:

“All you who are thirsty,     come to the water! You who have no money,     come, buy grain and eat; Come, buy grain without money,

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    wine and milk without cost!” (Isaiah 55:1)

Everyone is called to a vibrant life of prayer. All who are thirsty are called. As you pray through these words, what lies are present in your head or heart that want to get in the way? What lies need to be overcome? “I’m not good enough.” “I don’t have enough time.” “I’m not good at being quiet.” “I don’t have the skills.” “God doesn’t want this for me.” Ask the Lord to help you know the untruths that need to be pushed out of your heart. As your prayer time comes to a close, pray this with confidence and faith: “In the name of Jesus, I renounce the lie that I cannot be close to God in prayer.” You may need to repeat it a few times for it to sink in.

During Your Day: Pause for a minute or two and pray through the verses from Isaiah once again. Let the Lord encourage you that all are called to draw close to him. End your prayer as

you did this morning, praying with confidence and faith: “In the name of Jesus, I renounce the lie that I cannot be close to God in prayer.”

At the End of Your Day: Settle your heart before the Lord. Pray through the passage from Isaiah once more. Your Father wants you to have a rich and abundant prayer life. What single

word most describes the life of prayer you want? Share that word with the Lord as you end your day. Remember that he is listening!

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DAY 9 RECEIVING THE GIFT READ Time with God - Page 13, Paragraph 2

Fr. Jacques has mentioned over and over that prayer is a gift we

receive not a technique we master. Because of this, “Talk about prayer should not focus on describing methods or giving instructions, but explaining the necessary conditions for receiving the gift.”

That changes everything! The question now simply becomes: “What do I need to do to receive the gift?” Fr. Jacques will lead us in that in the days to come. But for now, let’s pray that our hearts are childlike, open, and ready to receive.

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Open your heart to the Lord in prayer. As you begin your prayer today, make this act of faith before your Heavenly Father: “I believe you are calling me to a

deep life of prayer. Give me a childlike heart ready to receive all you want to give.” Then pray through Psalm 131:

“O Lord, my heart is not proud nor haughty my eyes. I have not gone after things too great nor marvels beyond me. Truly I have set my soul in silence and peace. A weaned child on its mother’s breast,

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even so is my soul. O Israel, hope in the Lord both now and forever.” (Psalm 131)

This Psalm reminds us of Jesus’ call to be like little children before our heavenly Father. Where do you need the most help from the Lord to become more childlike? Which of these verses is the toughest for you? Spend a minute asking the Lord for that help; and be encouraged, because he loves you and will not leave you on your own to make it happen!

During Your Day: Pause briefly in the midst of your day. With an expectant faith that believes the Lord can prepare your heart to

receive the gift of prayer, pray through Psalm 57:8:

“My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready.”

You may not feel ready yet, but his grace is working!

At the End of Your Day: As you end your day, place yourself before the Lord and ask him to prepare your heart to receive the gift of prayer. Slowly and confidently offer Psalm 57:8 from

your midday prayer again.

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An Overview of Days 10 - 19

FIVE DISPOSITIONS OF THE HEART The good news Fr. Jacques has driven home is that our prayer

doesn’t depend first on us and what we do. There’s so much freedom and relief in that truth! But that doesn’t mean that we’re totally passive in our prayer.

Our hearts need to be disposed and ready to receive the gift of prayer, and there are certain necessary conditions that we can acquire, keep, and deepen, which will make that happen.

What are the necessary conditions - the inner attitudes and dispositions of the heart - for receiving the gift? Fr. Jacques shares the five most important with us in the coming days. Get ready!

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DAY 10 FAITH IN GOD’S PRESENCE READ Time with God - Page 14, Paragraphs 1-4

The first disposition of heart that we need to receive the gift of

prayer is faith. Faith is never abstract, it’s always concrete. Today Fr. Jacques tells us that we need a faith that says, “Lord, I know you are here” when we sit down to pray:

“In starting to pray, alone, facing God, in our room, or in an oratory before the Blessed Sacrament, we must believe with our whole heart that God is present.”

Let’s ask the Lord for that gift now.

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: As you open your heart to the Lord in prayer, let him remind you that he is really present as you pray through these Scripture verses:

“O where can I go from your spirit, or where can I flee from your face? If I climb the heavens, you are there. If I lie in the grave, you are there.” (Psalm 139:7-8)

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

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“Behold, I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20)

As you slowly pray through these verses in your heart, what do you hear the Lord saying to you about his presence with you even now? Make an act of faith in these promises of God: “Lord, I believe these words. I believe that you are here with me now, because you love me.”

Every time you come to pray, the Lord is already there, waiting for you. What great love he has for you! Take this good news with you into the rest of the day, remaining attentive to the Lord’s presence.

During Your Day: Take a minute or two in the middle of your day to meet the Lord in prayer. Renew your faith in his presence with you by praying over one of the verses from this

morning. As you end your prayer thank the Lord for his faithful love that led him to meet you and make himself present.

At the End of Your Day: Spend a moment acknowledging that the Lord is with you in prayer. Let your heart recognize his presence. In quiet, without any words, enjoy being in his presence. (Think of what it’s like for a couple who has been

married for 50 years to sit next to each other in quiet, holding hands, loving each other without saying a word. Something similar can happen to us when we sit in the Lord’s presence, letting him love us and loving him in return. It’s a heart thing, not a head thing.)

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DAY 11 FAITH THAT ALL ARE CALLED TO A LIFE OF PRAYER READ Time with God - Page 15, Paragraph 2

Yesterday Fr. Jacques told us to have faith that God is present

when we pray. Today, we’re praying for the faith to know that we’re supposed to be there, too. No matter what our life looks like, no matter what our sins may be, no matter how wounded we are, we are all called to a life of prayer that is deep, rich, and marvelous. This is such wonderful news!

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Open your heart to the Lord who is truly present before you as you begin your day in prayer. As you acknowledge and recognize his presence, slowly

pray through these Scripture verses in your heart:

“I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Matthew 9:13)

“Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus.” (Luke 15:1)

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

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“This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

Spend a few minutes with these verses, slowly taking them into your heart. Let the Lord convince you that the life of prayer is not reserved for the religious elite. It is for everyone. Be encouraged. Let the truth of these verses push out any of the lies that would tell you that you can’t have an amazing prayer life. End your time of prayer holding on to one of the verses in your heart and take it into the day with you.

During Your Day: Pause for a couple of minutes in your day to meet the Lord in prayer. Picture the scene from Luke 15:1 “Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to

Jesus.” Allow the scene to come to life in your mind and heart. What did the crowd look like? What kind of joy and anticipation was in the air as they drew near to Jesus? What does Jesus’ face look like as the people draw near? Thank the Lord that he is calling everyone to himself in prayer.

At the End of Your Day: As you end your day, open your heart to the Lord and recognize his presence with you. Go back and read with faith and trust the verse that most stood out from this morning. Make an act of faith in the truth of those

words from Scripture: “Lord, I believe this is true.” No matter how far you might feel from the Lord, no matter how unworthy you may feel, the Lord is calling everyone, including you, to a deep communion with himself. In your own words, ask him to keep drawing you to himself in prayer.

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DAY 12 FAITH THAT PRAYER IS ALWAYS FRUITFUL READ Time with God - Page 15, Paragraph 3 to Page 16, Paragraph 2

You may not feel it or see it yet, but your prayer is always

bearing good fruit. We walk by faith and not by sight. Because we don’t feel or see the effects immediately we need faith to really know and believe that our prayer is working.

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: As you begin your day, open your heart to the Lord knowing that he is truly present before you. (Make use of the section Preparing Your Heart if you need a

refresher.) Slowly pray through these Scripture verses in your heart:

““And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” (Luke 11:9-11)

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“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand.” (James 5:7-8)

These are the verses that Fr. Jacques referenced in the pages we read today. Each of them is meant to give us a confident faith that our prayer always bears good fruit: transforming us, sanctifying us, healing us, etc. As you pray through these, what do you hear your Heavenly Father saying to you? What encouragement or confidence is he wanting to give you? Pay attention to the movements of your heart. Hold on to the verse that stirs your heart the most. We’ll come back to those words throughout the day because there’s something the Lord is doing in that verse for you.

During Your Day: Find a good time to pause when you won’t be distracted by other things. Go back to the verse that most stirred your heart this morning and slowly pray

through it again. What is the Lord saying to you in the verse about his goodness and faithfulness? What is he saying to you about your need for confidence and trust in him? Ponder that in your heart for a minute, really letting the Lord speak. End this brief time of prayer asking for help: “Father, help me to know that my prayer is never in vain.”

At the End of Your Day: As you bring your day to a close, go back one more time to the verse you’ve prayed with today. Have you set any unrealistic expectations on yourself or the Lord for how quickly your prayer will bear fruit? Let those go

now. The timeline belongs to the Lord. Pray through the verse again, asking the Lord for a faith that believes prayer is always fruitful: “Father, help me to know that my prayer is never in vain.”

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DAY 13 FAITHFULNESS > QUALITY READ Time with God - Page 16, Paragraph 3 to Page 17, Paragraph 3

The first disposition of heart that is absolutely necessary to

receive the gift of prayer is faith. Today Fr. Jacques gives us the second: fidelity. There are some huge, key truths in Fr. Jacques’ words today, don’t miss them!

“Our first concern, if I may put it that way, should be faithfulness in praying, not the quality of our prayer. The quality will come from fidelity. Time spent faithfully every day in mental prayer that is poor, arid, distracted, and relatively short is worth more, and will be infinitely more fruitful for our progress, than long, ardent spells of metal prayer from time to time…” Be encouraged by this truth, it can change everything!

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: With your heart opened before the Lord, slowly pray through these Scripture verses, in light of today’s reading from Time for God:

“Then Jesus told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary… ‘But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’” (Luke 18: 1,8)

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“For to you I will pray, Lord; in the morning you will hear my voice; in the morning I will plead before you and wait.” (Psalm 5:3-4)

“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

It’s hard to keep praying without becoming weary and without ceasing. There’s a need for discipline here. As our Blessed Mother said: “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:5) Ask the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, to give you the gift of a persevering fidelity to your daily prayer, especially when you don’t feel like it: “Father, keep me faithful to prayer, since you are always faithful to me.”

During Your Day: Pause for a couple of minutes during your day. Go back to the verse from this morning that most stirred or struck your heart. As you pray though it slowly,

remember that God’s Word contains supernatural power to bring about the very thing it proclaims. So it’s not up to you, in a self-reliant way, to pray without becoming weary. You need the Lord’s strength to do it. Allow his Word to deposit into your heart whatever you need to put it into practice.

At the End of Your Day: Part of remaining strong and faithful in prayer is making sure that we keep our life in a healthy balance before the Lord. That means getting the rest we need. Sleep is an act of humility. To sleep we must stop our work. As

you end your day, take to heart this promise of the Lord: “He pours gifts on his beloved while they slumber.” (Psalm 127:2) Good night! The Lord will be ready for you to meet him in prayer in the morning.

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DAY 14 PURITY OF INTENTION READ Time with God - Page 18, Paragraphs 1-2

The third disposition heart we need is purity of intention. This means that we pray not in order to find our own self-fulfillment or self-satisfaction, but to please God. This is key because “those who seek themselves and their own satisfaction will quickly drop mental prayer when it becomes difficult or dry…” So keep your eyes fixed on the face of the Lord. Keep pursuing the treasure of his great love!

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: With your heart opened before the Lord, slowly pray through these Scripture verses, in light of today’s reading from Time for God:

“Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

“Hear my voice, Lord, when I call;     have mercy on me and answer me. ‘Come,’ says my heart, ‘seek his face’;     your face, Lord, do I seek!” (Psalm 27:7-8)

Allow the Lord to reveal the hidden intentions of your heart. Is there any self-seeking or self-satisfaction that motivates your prayer? Any pride? Any motivation based on fear of punishment?Ask the Lord to purify your heart from anything that keeps your

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intentions in prayer from being pure. In its place, ask the Lord to give you the deep desire to seek his face.

During Your Day: Quiet your heart and take a few minutes to pray through the two verses from this morning again. You’re part way through your day now, it’s a good time to

check your heart again. So allow the Lord to reveal the hidden intentions of your heart. What is he showing you? With trust in the Lord’s mercy, give those things to him and ask him to purify your heart. Then pray for the gift that your heart would say to you: “Come, seek his face!”

At the End of Your Day: As you end your day, turn your heart to the Lord. Review your day with him. Taking the three main parts of the day one at a time (morning, afternoon, and evening), were there particular moments or situations

when you were focused more on you rather than God and neighbor? What might the Lord be teaching you from those moments about what you’re carrying in your heart as you enter times of prayer? Remember, none of this is meant to discourage! The Lord shows us these things so that he can purify and heal them. End your prayer with this verses:

“Indeed you love truth in the heart; then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom. O purify me, then I shall be clean; O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:8-9)

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DAY 15 A TRAP FROM THE DEVIL READ Time with God - Page 19, Paragraphs 2-4

As we pray for purity of intention, Fr. Jacques singles out this trap from the Devil that we need to be aware of: The Accuser frequently makes it clear to us how imperfect and weak our love for God still is. And drawing this up before us, he wants to fill us with worry and discouragement. Today we pray for freedom from the enemy’s lies. Keep going in your prayer!. “Patiently endure the times of aridity that God will certainly send to purify our love for him.”

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: As you begin your day, prepare your heart for prayer. With your focus on the Lord, slowly pray through these Scripture verses:

“Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)

“[The Devil] was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?” (Psalm 27:1)

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Based on these verses, what is the Lord showing you about the work of the enemy? Whatever the Lord reveals, remember that he doesn’t want us to live in fear! Pray and ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit today to help you perceive and know when the enemy is whispering lies to your heart, so that you may reject them: “Come, Holy Spirit. Come, Spirit of Truth. Help me to recognize today any lies of the enemy, that with your help, I may reject them and entrust myself completely to the Lord.”

During Your Day: As you pause in the middle of your day, open your heart before the Lord. Tell God, very simply, that you

you want to love him with a pure, disinterested love, and then abandon yourself totally and trustingly to him.

At the End of Your Day: As you end your day, turn your heart to the Lord. Review your day with him. You will inevitably find moments during the day when you were more focused on you and your own wants than on loving God or

neighbor. Entrust those moments to the Lord. Resolve to put this advice from Fr. Jacques into action now and again when you arise tomorrow: “Let God’s grace act. Be content to persevere in trust.”

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DAY 16 A SECOND TRAP READ Time with God - Page 20, Paragraph 2

A second trap, or lie, from the enemy is this accusation: “How could you imagine your prayer could ever please God, when you are so full of faults?” As Fr. Jacques teaches us, we please God most by our limitless trust in his mercy, not our own perfections. Today, as we enter into prayer, let’s confidently ask the Lord to help us deal with this trap from the enemy. Take courage!

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Prepare your heart for prayer. With your focus on the Lord, slowly pray through this Scripture and quote:

“That I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)

“As soon as God sees us convinced of our own nothingness — He stretches out His hand to us; but if we wish to attempt great things, even under the pretext of zeal, He leaves us alone. It is sufficient therefore to humble oneself and to bear our imperfections meekly: that is true sanctity.” St. Therese of Lisieux

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The Lord wanted St. Paul not to trust in himself and his own human accomplishments but in the Lord. It was a hard lesson for Paul. So the Lord gave him some help. St. Therese also learned this lesson and found her joy in her littleness before the Lord. The smaller and weaker she was, the more confidence she had that our Heavenly Father would take care of her. As you pray through these passages, where is your confidence? Have you trusted too much that your own perfections make you pleasing to God? Have you assumed that God will be more pleased with you the more perfect you are? End your prayer asking for the grace to let go of those lies and to bear your imperfections meekly, trusting unto folly in the Father’s goodness.

During Your Day: Take a few minutes out of your day to turn to the Lord in prayer. Make an act of confidence, faith, and trust in the Lord (not in yourself or your own perfections!) as you

slowly pray through this verse:

“In God alone is my soul at rest; my help comes from him. He alone is my rock, my stronghold, my fortress; I stand firm.” (Psalm 62:2-3)

At the End of Your Day: Whatever your imperfections were this day, they do not sway the Lord’s love for you. At the end of the day we need to renew our trust in the Lord’s goodness no matter how we may have struggled or failed this day.

This is the best defense against the lies of the enemy. So close your day by slowly praying again through Psalm 62 from your midday prayer.

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DAY 17 HUMILITY OF HEART READ Time with God - Page 20, Paragraph 3 to Page 21, Paragraph 3

The fourth disposition of heart is humility. The humility that Fr. Jacques has in mind is connected to the whole idea of being “poor in spirit”. It is a recognition of our radical poverty before the Lord. This is poverty not in a simply material sense, but a deeper poverty that recognizes our weakness, our powerlessness, and our utter dependence on God for everything. There is good news in this: the more we are aware of our littleness before the Lord, the more we are prepared to receive his good gifts, including the gift of prayer!

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: As you begin your day, open your heart in prayer to the Lord. As we pray this morning, we want to focus especially on the humble recognition that we come

before the Lord with very little to offer him, “for we do not know how to pray as we ought.” (Romans 8:26)

 Jesus then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my

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whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)

What is the Lord wanting to say to you or show you in this parable? What glimpse of yourself do you see in the Pharisee? How easy is it for you to come before the Lord like the tax collector with empty hands, with only your sins? Spend some time with the Lord letting this scene come to life in your heart and see what the Lord shows you. Remember, “it is precisely that trusting, joyful acceptance of weakness that is the source of all spiritual riches: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.’ (Matthew 5:3)"

During Your Day: As you pause during your day, reconnect your heart with the Lord. When you’re aware of being in his presence, slowly pray through the parable from this

morning again. As we chew on God’s Word, there is always more the Lord reveals the second or third time we pray through it.

At the End of Your Day: As you end your day, give thanks to the Lord for whatever he revealed in the parable today, whether it comforted you or challenged you. With confidence in the power of his grace to give you the humility you

desire, offer this Psalm:

“O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor haughty my eyes. I have not gone after things too great, nor marvels beyond me. Truly I have set my soul in silence and peace. A weaned child on its mother's breast, even so is my soul.” (Psalm 131:1-2)

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DAY 18 PUTTING UP WITH YOUR WEAKNESSES READ Time with God - Page 22, Paragraphs 1-3

Humility is such an important disposition that Fr. Jacques spends extra time with it. So we’ll continue praying for it again today, but from a different perspective: Humility helps us to accept and put up with our weaknesses, struggles, and constant falls. The proud person gives up on prayer because he can’t deal with his own struggles. The humble person lets those struggles bring him that much closer to the Lord!

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: As you open your heart in prayer to the Lord, slowly reflect on these verses below. There are important things here the Lord wants to teach you about your

need for humility.

 “Though the just fall seven times, they rise again,  but the wicked stumble from only one mishap.” (Proverbs 24:16)

“But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

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(2 Corinthians 4:7-9)

“Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for: ‘God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble.’ So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:5-7)

What is the Lord showing you here about your need for humility in your life of prayer? Have you relied more on yourself than on God’s grace over these days of prayer? Have you become discouraged because you can’t make certain things happen in your life of prayer? Whatever the Lord may be showing you, bring it to him in your prayer this morning. Humility helps us to trust in God and not in ourselves.

During Your Day: Take a few minutes for quiet prayer in the midst of your day. Go back to the verse that most stood out to you or struck your heart this morning. Slowly pray though it

again. Confidently ask the Lord to give you the humility you need to patiently persevere in your weaknesses and struggles. He will not abandon you!

At the End of Your Day: As you end your day, pray once again for the gift of a childlike confidence in your Heavenly Father that leaves you little, humble, and trusting in his arms:

“O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor haughty my eyes. I have not gone after things too great, nor marvels beyond me. Truly I have set my soul in silence and peace. A weaned child on its mother's breast, even so is my soul.” (Psalm 131:1-2)

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DAY 19 DETERMINATION TO PERSEVERE READ Time with God - Page 23, Paragraphs 2-3

The fifth disposition of heart that Fr. Jacques says we need to receive the gift of prayer is perseverance. This need for persevering determination is especially important at the beginning of our prayer life. As St. Theresa of Avila encourages us: “Make an earnest and most determined resolve not to halt until [you] reach your goal.” Remember the goal: a deep, intimate, loving communion with God. Don’t give up! Today, offer one more yes to the Lord in prayer!

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Prepare yourself to meet the Lord in prayer. Know that he is already waiting there for you. Let him encourage you in these passages to going in your prayer, to not

give up.

“I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

“Brothers, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit

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toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

“Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (Jams 1:2-4)

What encouragement do you sense the Lord giving you in these passages? What most speaks to your heart here? Let it soak in. Determination and perseverance are hard. So let the Lord give you strength in his Word.

During Your Day: As you pause in your day, go back to the verse that most stood out to you or struck your heart this morning.

Slowly pray though it again, allowing the Lord to encourage you. What is the Lord saying to you here? Keep praying for the grace not to halt until we reach our goal.

At the End of Your Day: At the end your day bring your heart before the Lord once more. Thank him that in the midst of whatever you had to deal with today, he has given you perseverance

in your prayer and the grace to end your day before him. This is a great gift! And he wants to give it to you tomorrow as well. Pray for that gift with this passage:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

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An Overview of Days 20 - 25

REASONS TO PERSEVERE, TRAPS TO AVOID In the coming days, Fr. Jacques gives us good reasons to stay

determined and persevering in our prayer. He also points out some traps from the enemy that we need to avoid.

Remember that as you’re praying through this, the Lord may show you some things you need to spend more time on in your prayer. If or when that happens, feel free to spend as many days in a particular section as you need. The point isn’t just to get through these 28 days of prayer but to let the Lord change you and bring into the deep prayer you’ve always longed for. So don’t force yourself to keep going if the Holy Spirit is urging you to linger over a particular day!

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DAY 20 PRAYER IS THE SOIL READ Time with God - Page 24, Paragraph 1 to Page 26, Paragraph 1

The one great reason to keep going in our life of prayer is that it fuels everything: our growth in holiness, our fruitful reception of the sacraments, our moral life, etc. Prayer is the soil out of which every good gift grows. Without a regular life of prayer, the many good gifts God gives have no soil in which to grow.

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: As you open your heart to the Lord, slowly pray over the parable below:

“When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable. ‘A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it withered for lack of moisture. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold.’” (Luke 8:4-8)

Notice that the seed that falls on good soil produces fruit a hundredfold. It’s a supernatural return on the seed that was planted there! Your daily prayer creates an environment of good soil in your heart. When the Lord’s gifts are planted into that the good soil they

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are able to produce abundant (hundredfold!) fruit in your life. Spend a few minutes with the Lord sharing what fruit you most desire. (Maybe a hundredfold fruit from the times you go to Confession or receive the Eucharist? Maybe a hundredfold fruit in resisting temptation? A hundredfold fruit in making good, loving choices?) Our daily prayer creates the good soil so keep going!

During Your Day: Spend a few minutes reflecting on your day so far. What areas could benefit from the Lord’s promise of a hundredfold fruit? Are there particular relationships?

Are there areas that need more healing in you? Are there areas of anxiety or worry? Pray through the parable from this morning one more time, asking the Lord for the grace to persevere in your prayer.

At the End of Your Day: At the end of your day bring your heart to the Lord in prayer. Aware of the struggles you will face tomorrow to remain faithful in prayer, ask the Lord to encourage and motivate you with this truth:

“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

Thank the Lord for giving you the grace to turn to him in prayer at the end of your day.

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DAY 21 THE TRAP OF NOT ENOUGH TIME READ Time with God - Page 26, Paragraph 2 to Page 27, Paragraph 2

It’s easy to say “I’m too busy to pray!” But as Fr. Jacques writes, the real problem isn’t a lack of time but giving time to things that don’t matter as much as prayer. It’s not that we need more time, we just need help to better use our time for things that really count.

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Bring your heart before the Lord, allowing yourself to become aware of his loving presence with you. Keeping in mind Fr. Jacques’ words regarding the

problem of time, make an act of faith in Jesus’ promise spoken here:

Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age.” (Mark 10:29-30)

It’s true that God really does multiply our time. Not only in quantity but in quality. Trusting this promise helps us to reject the fear that creeps in when we think of giving time over to prayer in the midst of a busy day. As you pray through this passage, what is

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the Lord saying to you about those fears? What might he be saying to you to encourage to keep giving him time in prayer?

During Your Day: Pause for a few minutes in your day. Turn your heart toward your Heavenly Father who is watching over you. What obstacles typically keep you from taking time for

prayer? Self-reliance? Anxiety? An overly busy schedule? Selfishness? Pray through the passage again from this morning. Ask the Lord for the grace to trust him and to know that the time you spend in prayer is never wasted.

At the End of Your Day: At the close of the day bring your heart before the Lord. In a culture that prizes multi-tasking, let the Lord be your one focus right now. With an undivided heart, let the Lord remind you of how good it is to give your time

to him in loving prayer:

“Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.’ The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.’” (Luke 10:40-42)

Thank you, Lord, for giving me the grace to fix my heart on you in the midst of my busy life.

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DAY 22 THE TRAP OF FEELING GUILTY READ Time with God - Page 27, Paragraph 3 to Page 28, Paragraph 2

Fr. Jacques lays bare another trap from the enemy today. It’s the guilty feeling of taking time to pray when we think we should be with other people instead. The truth is “that time given to God is never stolen from other people who need our love and our presence.” Your time with God will make you a better, more loving person, and everyone in your life will benefit from that!

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: As you start your day, open your heart before the Lord, recognizing he is there with you. Slowly pray through these verses that speak of the preeminence

of Jesus:

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17 )

“All things came to be through him,     and without him nothing came to be.” (John 1:3)

Jesus holds everything together, including your relationships with family, friends, and coworkers. When we spend time with the Lord in prayer, everything benefits from it. Slowly pray through

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these verses again, asking the Lord to help convince you of this truth. Ask the Lord to bless those relationships that generate the most guilt when you take time for prayer. Ask the Lord to help you grow in love for them. End with this act of faith: “Lord, I trust that more good will come from the time I spend in prayer than from any human project I undertake without you.”

During Your Day: Take a few minutes of quiet in the midst of your day. With you heart settled, and other worries and

distractions placed to the side, pray through these opening verses from Psalm 127:

“If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor; if the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil.” (Psalm 127:1-2)

Ask the Lord to help you believe his Word: everything we do without him will only end in vain!

At the End of Your Day: Spend a moment acknowledging that the Lord is with you in prayer. Let your heart recognize his presence. Let him encourage you one more time with the truth

that putting him first will help every other area of your life:

“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

End your day recommitting yourself to meeting the Lord again in prayer tomorrow.

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DAY 23 THE TRAP OF CALLING WORK OUR PRAYER READ Time with God - Page 29, Paragraph 2 to Page 30, Paragraph 2

It’s wonderful to be thinking about the Lord while we’re in the car, or while we’re doing work around the house. And it’s a good thing to offer up our work to God. But Fr. Jacques reminds us today that none of these ever replace the quiet time we need to spend alone with God, “wasting time” in prayer. Don’t be afraid to be generous with the Lord!

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Begin your day recognizing the Lord’s loving presence with you. Open your heart before him. Then slowly pray through this verse:

“When you come into the land which I am giving you, and reap its harvest, you shall bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest.” (Leviticus 23:10)

The Lord wants us to give him our “first fruits.” In the Old Testament this meant bringing the first yield of the harvest to him as an offering. This was an act of faith that demonstrated the Israelites’ obedience and reverence for God. It showed that they trusted God to provide enough crops to feed their families. The Lord desires us to do the same with our prayer. While we can

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always turn to God in the middle of our activities (and he wants us to!), he also desires that we give the first fruits of our time to him in focused loving prayer.

What do you sense the Lord is asking of you as he calls you deeper and deeper into prayer? Have you held back on giving the Lord the dedicated time that he would like to spend with you? Let the Lord speak with you about this.

During Your Day: Offer the Lord a few minutes during your day. As you come before him, slowly pray through these verses:

“Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions.” (John 12:3-6)

Being generous with the Lord can be hard. And other people may complain when we do so. But let the Lord encourage you with this verse. Don’t be afraid to be generous with him!

At the End of Your Day: As you end your day with the Lord, pray though our midday prayer exercise one more time. In what ways were your generous with the Lord today? In what ways

did you hold back? Ask the Lord to help you not be afraid to be generous tomorrow when you meet the Lord in prayer!

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DAY 24 THE TRAP OF FALSE SINCERITY READ Time with God - Page 30, Paragraph 4 to Page 33, Paragraph 2

The trap of false sincerity says that we should only pray when we really feel it, and that to do otherwise would be insincere or hypocritical. But prayer is like love, we do it not only when we feel like it, but most especially when we don’t. This isn’t insincere, it’s just a recognition that our feelings are fickle, so our will needs to lead.

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Place yourself before the Lord, acknowledging his loving gaze on you. Open your heart before him. Then slowly pray through these verses:

“More tortuous than anything is the human heart,  beyond remedy; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

 “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” (James 1:14)

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)

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Each of the verses reminds us of the basic battle taking place within us between our faith and our feelings. What is the Lord showing you about that battle within you, based on these verses? Have you ever detected within you the false sincerity that Fr. Jacques speaks about today? How often do you wait to pray until the spontaneous desire wells up within you? Ask the Lord for the freedom you need not to be a slave to your feelings, especially in your life of prayer!

During Your Day: Take a few minutes to pause for prayer in your day. Which of these verses from this morning most struck home as true? Pray through that verse again slowly.

Allow the Lord to show you your heart. Is there any false insincerity? Any temptations to give up because “you don’t feel it” when you pray? Remember that prayer, like love, requires an act of the will, not just warm feelings. Ask the Lord to strengthen your will to keep choosing prayer. Don’t give up!

At the End of Your Day: Gather your heart before the Lord at the end of your day. As we spent today looking at the trap of false sincerity, remember the scene in the garden of

Gethsemane. Jesus feels one thing (agony, suffering, distress) but chooses another: “Not what I want, but what you want.” (Mark 14:32-36) There will be many times when your feelings will try to dissuade you from praying, but in your heart, keep choosing to pray. Thank the Lord Jesus that he is with you in this struggle!

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DAY 25 THE TRAP OF FALSE HUMILITY READ Time with God - Page 33, Paragraph 3 to Page 30, Paragraph 2

This trap is a variation on the previous one. Here, false humility says, “I’m not worthy to come before the Lord, I have too many struggles with sin. Until I get my life on track it would be better for me to stop praying…” Fr. Jacques has a lot to say about this trap, including this crucial truth: “Our sinfulness, however grave, should never be an excuse to abandon prayer…” Whatever you do, don’t give up!

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: As you open your heart to the Lord in prayer, slowly pray over this scene from the Gospel of Matthew:

“While Jesus was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ He heard this and said, ‘Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.’” (Matthew 9:10-13)

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We come to the Lord not because we have our act together and are already spiritually healthy, but for exactly the opposite reason: because we know how broken we are and that only the Lord can heal us. Pray through this scene again. How easy is it for you to come to the Lord in your sinfulness? What encouragement does the Lord want to give you in this passage? Are you aware of any false humility that may be at work in your heart keeping you from approaching the Lord in prayer with confidence? As you end your prayer time, take this verse with you in your heart: “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

During Your Day: Find a few minutes (or more) to sit down with the Lord in prayer. As you come before him, slowly pray through this passage:

“God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ.” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Jesus didn’t come to us because we were already perfect. It’s exactly the opposite: he came because we were dead in sin. Pray through this verse slowly, asking the Lord to give you great trust in his Divine Mercy. Make a commitment to keep praying, especially when you feel most unworthy!

At the End of Your Day: End your day with your heart opened before the Lord in prayer. Today we focused on the unworthiness we often feel when we stand before God. But this can’t become

our reason not to pray. God’s love takes the initiative and makes us worthy. Our prayer (and love) is a response to the love God already has for us:

“We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

Be encouraged by this truth and let it give you the strength you need to meet the Lord again in prayer tomorrow!

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An Overview of Days 26 - 28

HOW WE LIVE AFFECTS OUR PRAYER In these last few pages Fr. Jacques brings Chapter 1 to a close

with this simple but powerful truth: How we live affects our prayer. Sometimes we like to believe that we can compartmentalize our life and pursue God in some areas, like prayer, while keeping the door shut to him in other areas. But before God, our heart is one. There are no compartments. So how we live really affects the way we pray, and how deep we go in prayer.

Let all of this encourage you, because the Lord doesn’t just want to be close to you in prayer, but in every moment of your life!

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DAY 26 A TOTAL GIFT TO GOD READ Time with God - Page 38, Paragraph 2 to Page 39, Paragraph 2

In these last few pages of Chapter 1, Fr. Jacques ends with this important truth and encouragement for us: “Very often what determines our progress and deepening in mental prayer is not what we do during prayer time but the rest of the time.” How we live outside of prayer affects the way we pray! How well we love our neighbor, how well we cooperate with God’s grace to resist sin, etc., will determine how deep we go in prayer. As another spiritual writer, Fr. Thomas Dubay, once put it: deep conversion leads to deep prayer. So don’t be afraid of letting the Lord take you from good to better as you live out your faith each day!

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Begin your day by opening your heart to the Lord. As we enter into prayer call to mind what you read in Time for God today. The Lord wants the whole of you

not just in times of prayer, but throughout your day. Hear St. Paul give you that encouragement as you pray over this passage:

“I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2)

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Did you notice how the giving of our bodies to the Lord becomes a spiritual sacrifice? What we do in our bodies, throughout the day, has a spiritual impact on us. There are no compartments. The Lord wants to be in everything. As you pray through the passage again let the Lord show you what areas of your daily life you may be withholding from him. Don’t rush past this, but really let the Lord show you what he sees. Take what he shows you into the rest of your day. Your deeper conversion in daily life will lead to even deeper prayer!

During Your Day: Pause for prayer during your day. Let the Lord remind you that he wants all of you today:

“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)

At the End of Your Day: As you end your day, open your heart to the Lord and return to the passage from our morning prayer. Let the Lord show what he has in mind when he says he wants you to be a total gift to himself. What areas have you

kept off limits from him? How has that affected the quality of your prayer? Whatever the Lord shows you, don’t be discouraged and tempted to give up! Keep trusting in the Lord. Your deep conversion will lead to even deeper prayer.

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DAY 27 LEAVING YOUR OWN SELF BEHIND READ Time with God - Page 39, Paragraph 3 to Page 40, Paragraph 1

Love calls us out of ourselves. Our experience in prayer should be that of a gradual letting go of ourselves, so that we can share more deeply in the life of God. If we hold onto ourselves (our desires, our plans, our will, our comforts, our sins, etc.) then we’ll never experience the depth of prayer the Lord wants for us. The Lord has good gifts for you, but how can you receive those gifts if your hands are already filled with earthly things? Today, don’t be afraid to let go!

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Start your day in the presence of the Lord, acknowledging his great love for you. The Lord has beautiful gifts he wants to give you today. But to

receive them, we need empty hands.

“Joshua said to the people, ‘Now, therefore, put away the foreign gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.’” (Joshua 24:23)

“He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39)

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As you pray through these verses, what is the Lord showing you about the things you may be clinging to? What are those things that have become idols in your daily life? (Your time? Your comfort? Your control over other people or situations? Your anger? Your expectations?) Whatever the Lord may be showing you, don’t be afraid to make this act of faith: “Lord Jesus, help me to let go of these things and to trust that it is only when I lose my life in you that I will really find it.”

During Your Day: Mid-way through your day, take some time to turn to the Lord in prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you quickly

review your day so far. What are the “idols” that you have been clinging to so far? Are they the same things you saw this morning? Or is the Lord showing you more? Spend some time with this. Before returning to your day, make this act of faith: “Lord Jesus, help me to let go of these things and to trust that it is only when I lose my life in you that I will really find it.”

At the End of Your Day: Bringing your day to a close, let’s pray through the same exercise we offered at midday. Again, call on the Holy Spirit to shed light on your day. What are the things the Lord is showing you that you may be too

attached to? What are those things that keep you from leaving your own self behind and so share more deeply in the life of Christ? It isn’t a one or two day job to be free from them. But don’t be discouraged! The Lord is with you as you allow him to take you into a deeper conversion that will lead to deeper prayer: “Lord Jesus, help me to let go of these things and to trust that it is only when I lose my life in you that I will really find it.”

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DAY 28 PRAYER IS A LIFESTYLE READ Time with God - Page 40, Paragraph 2 to Page 43

On our final day together, Fr. Jacques leaves us with this encouragement as we go forward in prayer: Our whole lifestyle can either favor or hinder mental prayer. The way we live ultimately becomes the way we pray. This may sound daunting or overwhelming, but there is good news here: it’s easier to find God in times of prayer if we have never left him! So let’s pray for the grace to keep our heart open to the Lord throughout the day, even in the most ordinary of things.

PRAY

At the Start of Your Day: Open your heart to the Lord, acknowledging his great love for you. As we begin our prayer we want to invite the Lord into everything, believing that he has come

to be with us in everything we do today. Slowly pray through these verses a few times. Let the Lord remind you that he is with you in all things. And hear his call to meet him throughout your day in all that you do, so that the way you pray and the way you live can become, little by little, one consistent act of love.

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,     and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means ‘God is with us.’” (Matthew 1:23)

“Seven times a day I praise you for your just decrees.” (Psalm 119:164)

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During Your Day: Find some time to pause and meet the Lord in prayer. Remembering that our daily living and our prayer are deeply connected, take a moment to recollect your

heart and offer everything over to the Lord. Use the classic Suscipe of St. Ignatius of Loyola to help you make the offering:

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, All I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, that is enough for me.

At the End of Your Day: As you end your day, bring your heart before the Lord. Aware of the day, and aware of your own heart, what were the moments today when you most allowed the Lord into the everyday stuff? Are you conscious of

moments today when you didn’t let the Lord in? Were there moments today when your lifestyle was at odds with what you say to the Lord in prayer? Whatever the Lord may show you, don’t give up! Tomorrow is a new day and the Lord’s mercies will be renewed once again. He’s ready to help you start over, recommitted to growing deeply in your prayer and union with him! End your day by offering once again the Suscipe of St. Ignatius that we prayed at midday.

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WHAT NOW?

You did it! We’ve prayed together through Chapter 1 of Fr. Jacques’ book. And now comes the exciting part: how you will meet the Lord in your own prayer in the days and weeks ahead. The Lord has wonderful things in store for you. And he will continue to guide you and lead you, so stay open to the working of the Holy Spirit.

As an initial answer to the question, “What now?” you should continue into Chapter 2 where Fr. Jacques offers some “landmarks and paths” to look for in your daily prayer. Remember, though, that reading his book is different than actually praying. Spiritual reading is good, but it is never a replacement for actually spending time with the Lord in heart-to-heart conversation.

As food for your continued prayer, Scripture is always best since God’s Word is living and active. So you may want to pray with the daily Mass readings for each day, or begin to slowly pray through one of the Gospels. When you do this, the same general rules we followed over the previous four weeks still apply: we are praying and pondering from our hearts, not from our minds. The Lord has something to say to you each and every time you pick up his Word and pray. The Holy Spirit is wonderfully creative in applying Scripture to our daily life.

At any time, feel free to come back to any or all of these 28 days of prayer when you feel the Lord may need to give you a refresher or take you deeper into a particular truth.

Above all, don’t give up! Keep persevering in your prayer. Remember why you started this in the first place:

You were made for an intimate, loving communion with God. Your heart feels this longing, and it’s confirmed every time the world and your daily activities leave you dry, unsatisfied, and restless. You were made to be in a loving relationship with God.

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APPENDIX I FIVE STEPS OF SCRIPTURAL PRAYER

1. Quiet down and recognize God’s presence. This is one of the most difficult parts of praying – letting the

noise of the day fall to the side as we quiet our heart, mind and body. It is good to have a consistent time and place for our prayer so that we gradually grow accustomed to entering into prayer. As you begin, remind yourself that God is always with you, picture Jesus gazing upon you or sitting close, the same way a friend would be present. A crucifix or holy card with an image of Jesus may be of help. Slowly reciting a simple prayer may also help quiet us: “Jesus, have mercy,” “Lord, help me,” or making a simple act of faith to open our hearts to Him: “Lord, I know you are here with me.”

2. Ask God for his help. The beauty of Christian prayer is that we’re not expected to do

it on our own, as if God is waiting for us to reach him. Rather, he wants to help us. So in this step we simply and honestly ask the Lord for his help in trying to pray. Speaking to the Lord we acknowledge that we need his help to pray. For example, “Lord, I give this time to you, teach me to pray…” If there are particular things (errands, work, etc.) that are weighing us down or distracting us, simply hand them over to the Lord. Sometimes it helps to write them down on paper so that we can return to them after our time of prayer.

3. Choose a passage from one of the Gospels and begin meditating on the scene.

Here, we use our imagination to construct the entire scene in our mind. Say, for example, we choose to meditate on Luke 23:32-38 where Jesus forgives his persecutors from the cross. In meditating on this passage, we imagine the whole scene, that we are on Mount Calvary, and that we see and hear all that is happening. Some Christians are hesitant to use their imagination in

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this way when they pray, as if it were forbidden, but this is actually one of the oldest and most traditional ways of praying as Catholics. In using our imagination in this way we keep our mind fully engaged in the Scriptures so that we are less likely to get distracted. It often helps to pray over the same passage slowly, several times, each time allowing our mind to see in greater detail the passage we are meditating upon.

4. Using our intellect to lead us deeper. After we have fully imagined the scene, we now use our

intellect to consider what we have read in the passage and what we have envisioned in our minds. In a calm way, we step through the scene again. If a particular image or phrase from our meditation struck us, we should stay with it, asking God to teach us more through that image or phrase. Perhaps we are struck by the picture of Jesus, bruised and beaten, walking to his death, accompanied by two criminals. We might envision the expression on his fellow prisoners’ faces–the good thief beginning to repent of his sins and the other one hardened in a look of fear and defiance. We might focus on Jesus walking–in pain, but peaceful knowing he is in his Father’s hands. “How do I react to suffering?” may be the question that comes to our minds. “How did Jesus act, and how can I take on more of his attitude?” As long as a particular image or phrase strikes us, we should remain with it, dwelling on it, asking the Lord to teach us through it.

5. Letting the meditation influence our daily life. In meditating on Jesus going to the cross, we might find

ourselves feeling a sense of sorrow over what he suffered, or loving Jesus more for what he has done for us. We may feel moved to become more like him in forgiving those who hurt us. These feelings, or “affections,” are the product of our meditations, and we can readily recognize in them the work of the Holy Spirit opening our hearts. The next step is to transform these feelings into particular resolutions for our daily life–little things we can put into practice to help us live a better Christian life. For instance, if we want to become more forgiving, then we can make a resolution not to be hurt by those who treat us poorly or offend us. It is important to transform the feelings we have into concrete actions. Do not

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leave your prayer without some concrete resolution based on your meditation, no matter how small it may be.

We should conclude our time of prayer by thanking God for the time spent with him, for the ways he may have touched our hearts. We should also ask him for his help to put our resolutions into practice in daily life and also ask him for the help to be able to set aside more time to be with him in prayer.

These five steps of scriptural prayer are taken from and adapted in part from Patricia Mitchell’s The Enlightened Imagination – Meditating on the Life of Jesus with St. Francis de Sales.

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To Fr. Jacques Philippe’s Time for God

A Prayer Companion

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church Severna Park, Maryland 21146

410-647-4884 stjohnsp.org