It is enough for you to be...
Prayer as a person's attitude develops with his growth. It is not just about physical growth. Development affects man in his three basic dimensions: bodily, mental and spiritual. We are like a tripod – these three elements are supposed to work together. Either they develop evenly, or the whole falls, because no tripod on two legs will stand. It is not surprising, therefore, to discover that every day, every event and stage of human life carries a difference in its approach to the spiritual plane of our everyday life.
A few examples from everyday life will help us to enter even more deeply into the mystery of spiritual development. First, the unsown field grows with weeds and slowly, but systematically, becomes a steppe turning into a desert. Secondly, an uninhabited house, although unused, falls into ruin. Here we have an element of sowing (feeding) the field, which is our heart, and especially the relationship with what is God. It is impossible to live and not do renovations, because something will always break or wear out.
Crisis – development
The stages of human life – whether we like it or not – are marked by the experience of crisis. At every age and at each stage, it looks different. The word "crisis" in the original Greek refers to making decisions, making choices in relation to a given situation. It includes struggling and undertaking a fight, also a period of breakthrough, solstice, decisive turning point. Thus, in everyone, at every stage of life (including spiritual) there is confrontation and choice. After all, old women, busy parents, First Communion children and those preparing for confirmation pray differently. The prayer of spouses is not like the meeting of lonely people. We turn to God differently when we experience joy and differently when sadness dwells in our hearts. The approach is different – there is a different prayer for each time. One more mention of the fight. We know very well that the closer we get to the source, the greater is the effort on the way upstream, because the source is at the top. This effort is every step against ourselvesand against others.
Where there is an encounter, there is development
The simplest definition of prayer is encounter. The meeting is about people, this is how development (or regression) occurs. Every meeting is different. The meeting (and its conditions) should be taken care of (prepared). Meetings are interpersonal relationships. We develop as persons, so the relationship with God, the personal God, is embraced by this development. Bonds must be cultivated. Just as a well-cultivated crop yields abundant harvests, so does the life of prayer. But the beginnings are not easy at all. All our lives we learn to climb mountains and walk in the valleys. We recognize moments of increased activity and apparent inactivity. We discover new ways of praying and adapt them to our rhythm. Like an evangelical father who has old and new things in the treasury and knows what and when to pull out to use.
Direct worship
There is another element of this encounter emphasized by St. Ignatius of Loyola, and that is immediacy. Well, God wants to meet each of us and at every stage of the journey directly – without intermediaries. He approaches each of us individually, personally. And this is a spiritual encounter. At the deepest levels. Slowly you have to get to know them and get them. Like the chambers of St. Teresa. Like the mountain of St. John of the Cross. One well-known priest, Father Pereira, gives the following description of development in prayer. First, as in falling in love, is said so much before God. Then comes a certain peace of heart to listen to the Lord. The final stage is the moment when man wants only to be before God, to adore Him, to trust Him implicitly, knowing that He is the God of Love and can only love me. Thus, the "culmination" of the development of the believer's prayer (and this does not apply to age as such) is adoration of God.
Led by the hand
One can try to describe the various stages of spiritual life. However, it is quite general, because this directness makes that the creativity and ingenuity of God is amazing. Everyone has their own path of development. Often, we are not able to comprehend it and it becomes a source of irritation. However, in a journey there is no need to get nervous about rain or sun, talkative companions or silents. It is a good thing to read the lives of the saints. By describing their own path, they help us see ours. Ignatius of Loyola, in his autobiography “A Pilgrim's Journey,” noted that God "led him by the hand." And he saw it at the end of his life. In the spiritual life there is no moment to lose, there is no unimportant space.
The Acts of the Apostles (17:28) gives a definition of the world of prayer: "In him we live and move and have our being." If we believe this, then to the extent that we believe – we see the great works of God, His guidance through the meanders of earthly wandering. Moreover, we know that He is doing everything that we can to reach the goal of our journey—to be eternally united with Him in heaven. Therefore, I encourage you to write your own biography – the history of life with God and in God, a history that the more permeated with Him, the more clearly it becomes your history of salvation. Here the tool that Ignatius of Loyola left in the Spiritual Exercises, which we call the examination after prayer, is extremely helpful. It reads: "After I have finished practicing for a quarter of an hour, sitting or walking, I will examine how I have succeeded in this contemplation or meditation. If wrong, I will investigate the cause of it, and having thus learned the cause, I will repent of it, wanting to improve myself in the future. And if it is good, I will thank God our Lord, and next time I will stick to the same way" (Spiritual Exercises, 77). Although the words are not adequate to the situation described, I emphasize that this is not an assessment or valuation of prayer. It is about looking to improve, maintain. After all, we can know God more and more, love more and more and imitate more and more every day – at every stage and in every situation. Is this not the definition of development?
Search and find
Many Saint, especially St. Ignatius reminds us that "it is not the abundance of knowledge, but the inner feeling and tasting of things that satisfies and saturates the soul" (Spiritual Exercises, 2). So, we return to "it is enough for us to be"... me and You, You and me. Every time and at any time, whoever wants to find God, he finds Him.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george