14 March, Antonio, Cardinal Bacci: Meditations for Every Day

The Spirit of Prayer

1. Our Lord warned His disciples that “they must always pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1) But how is it possible to pray always? One might decide that this command was intended for monks and hermits dedicated to the contemplative life, and not for men living in the midst of the daily preoccupations of the world. But this is not so. Properly interpreted, Christ's precept holds good for everybody. We must pray always in the sense that we must remain always united to God in mind and heart. “Whether you eat or drink, or do anything else,” says St. Paul, “do all for the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31) “Whatever you do in word or in work,” he repeats elsewhere, “do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Col. 3:17) In other words, whatever we are doing, even if it is something very simple like eating or drinking, we should do it in the name of Jesus and for the glory of God. Once we understand it in this way, the Gospel precept transforms all our actions into prayer. The spirit of prayer should accompany us everywhere. In all our actions and conversations, no matter how far we may travel, we should remain close to Jesus. One brief act of attentiveness to God, repeated from time to time, is enough to change all our actions and our entire life into a continual prayer.

2. The alchemists of old were searching for a legendary stone which would transform metal into gold. This stone does not exist, of course, but in the supernatural order the spirit of prayer really can change everything to gold. When they are accompanied by this spirit, all our actions are most pleasing to God and draw His further favours. Blessed Maria Assunta Pallotta understood this truth clearly and put it into practice in her life. She tended animals, served in the kitchen and was a missionary in China, but no matter what she was doing she was moved by the spirit of prayer and of the love of God. "I ask God," she wrote to her parents, "to spread throughout the world that purity of intention which consists in performing our most ordinary actions for the love of God." Let us follow this example. Let us put into practice this great rule of the spiritual life. Then all our actions will be an acceptable prayer ascending to God.

3. The spirit of prayer is the spirit of the love of God, and this should inspire all our vocal prayers. Flowery petitions are no use if our minds and hearts are turned away from God. God wants our hearts. This is why He complained that “this people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” (Mt. 15:8;Mark 7:6) Remember the apt expression of St. Augustine: “To pray is to love.” Whoever loves God well prays a great deal. A man who is lacking in love prays very little. A man who does not love God at all never prays, or if he does he recites coldly the usual formulae and disregards Christ's warning: “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God!” (Mt. 4:7) Let us pray often, but let our prayers be sincere acts of the love of God coming from the heart.