A SERIES ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFE: “Prayer of the Heart” (Part I)   

Those who wish to enrich and intensify their prayer life will find a very valuable practice in the tradition of the Eastern Church: the so-called “prayer of the heart” or “Jesus prayer”.

In order to avoid misunderstandings, it is worth clarifying that this form of prayer is part of the rich treasure of the Universal Church, although it is practiced mainly by the faithful of Orthodoxy. It is by no means a foreign practice that comes from the forms of meditation of other Eastern religions; it is genuinely Christian. It is now being introduced more and more into the Roman Catholic Church as well. Indeed, the prayer of the heart can respond fruitfully to our longing for silence and recollection. Read More

A SERIES ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFE  – The Holy Rosary

Having reflected on the sufferings of prayer and on Eucharistic Adoration, let us now turn to the various forms of prayer. Although prayer is in itself a simple thing, it is not always easy for us to pray, and even less so to pray well. This too is an art, and in order to learn it, we need to study the various forms and methods of prayer that exist and, above all, to practice prayer fervently. One prayer that is quite widespread and beloved in our Catholic Church, especially in certain circles, is the Holy Rosary. In many of her authentic apparitions, the Virgin Mary tells us how important it is to her that we pray the Rosary. That is why it is worthwhile to meditate on this valuable prayer. Read More

A SERIES ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFE – Sufferings in Prayer (Part II)

Prayer is one of the glories we can already enjoy in this life, for it is a ladder by which God descends to us and we ascend to Him. However, even in our prayer life we are not exempt from the stresses that correspond to our earthly existence and we have to endure all kinds of disturbances. But God, in His wisdom, makes use of it all.

Yesterday we had begun to speak about the so-called “sufferings in prayer”, among which we had mentioned distractions and dryness of feeling. Today we want to continue with some others…

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