Pray with the Heart

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

How do we draw close?

In all your prayers, keep company with Jesus as if you are present at those moments in His Life.

All your heart, mind and strength means you meditate with your mind and imagination and allow your heart to experience Jesus life feeling as He felt as best you can.

It is only in human persistence and strength you do this, until grace takes you and carries you there. That is when He draws close to you, we make our feeble attempt to draw close mind and heart and persistence, then His Grace carries us to where our hearts and minds have fixed themselves.

This is true prayer, this is where prayers are answered in being with Him.

Not in lip service is our prayer answered, but in His Presence especially at the Cross.

When Grace takes us and we find ourself with Jesus at the Cross, we may find that intense love, suffering and pain we see and feel, dwarfs any petition we might bring to Him. Our concerns seem silly and petty at that point, but this does not matter, what matters is that you are truly there with Jesus. Everything is petty compared to Jesus Sacrifice of Love on the Cross, bring all your petitions to Him with full confidence.

At the Cross, Jesus heart was pierced, every grace and blessing awaits us there, persistently dispose your heart and mind to Jesus on the Cross and His Grace will take you there for real.

Love the Lord with all your heart, mind and strength.

Meditating on Jesus suffering engages the Heart and Mind, the more often we do this persistently, the more the Lord lifts us by Grace, His Holy Passion is a spiritual goldmine.

 

Persistence and discipline are needed to engage Heart and Mind, a set time each day needed to truly exercise our spiritual faculties.

Many times we will encounter distractions and a whole hour seems wasted and unproductive in meditating on Jesus life and thinking of Him.
It’s not wasted, the Lord sees you making the effort to draw close to Him.

Remember His word and trust.

“ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you “

Each effort improves our disposition to His Grace, He rewards it, not because we deserve it, but because He is gracious and Good.

Then by varying degrees we notice our heart and mind are brought together, our whole being is functioning as one, all of our being, this is Grace taking hold.

Time doesn’t matter when Grace takes us, what seems like 5 minutes could be hours or a whole night, and 1 moment can seem forever.

Our whole being is needed to enter the spiritual in Adoration, all our heart, mind and strength. Grace allows these to come together as one, this no longer just meditation, but contemplation by Grace, and contemplation is Adoration.

All these focused on the object of your desire, Jesus. Especially Jesus on the Cross, there is endless things for the heart and mind to Love and Adore there for all eternity, but we can start here and now.