Passive Prayers

Some themes that I noticed from my reading this week are the words “do” “method” “act” and “dialogue”. There are others that caught my attention but I’ll just talk about these now.
I’ve heard about Centering prayer and meditation, but I was never interested in learning more. These things seem “new age” to me the same as yoga and other such practices. They are just plain weird as my Tennessee grandma used to say. The part about emptying your mind in meditation is strange. I don’t want my mind to be empty.  I realize others may not think like me.

I’ve always been resistant to certain ways of thinking that are popular. Whenever I perceive danger, especially spiritual danger, I stay away. I trust the Holy Spirit and my very critical, discriminating mind to alert me when a person or situation isn’t right for me. And my stubborn personality causes me to investigate and be aware!

Jacques Phillipe, in his book “Time For God”, writes about when some people get agitated or anxious because they feel they aren’t doing enough or aren’t praying the right way. I noticed the word doing in the section “How to Use the Time of Mental Prayer.” He says that God may want to give them a great grace, a deeper type of prayer. Phillipe writes, “They should let Him act, and follow their natural inclination to remain passive. That peaceful orientation toward God in their heart is sufficient for prayer.” Fr. Phillipe says the grace of passive prayer is when God acts in the person. So God is the one who does the work, not the other way around. This appeals to me. I’ve loved God since I was young. I listen to Him.

Another passage in the book is about St. Therese of Lisieux when she was dying. Mother Agnes, her Superior,  asked what Therese was thinking about. Therese answered that she was in too much pain so she prays. Mother Agnes then asked Therese what she says to Jesus. Therese answered, “I don’t say anything. I just love Him!”
St. Therese is one of my favorites. I love this quote.

This is a message today from someone I follow on Twitter.  I was amazed since this is the same thing on my mind lately.

“By habitually thinking of the presence of God, we succeed in praying twenty-four hours a day. The continual remembrance of the presence of God engenders in the soul a divine state.” St. Paul of the Cross.

So I don’t always need to be in control.

Photo of Saint Therese of Liseaux, France age 20 in 1893 when she acted in a play about Joan of Arc.