During the 40 days of Lent, we followed the footsteps of our Savior to Calvary, encountering and fostering a deeper relationship as we journeyed by fasting, almsgiving and prayer. Gloriously, we then celebrated His Victorious Resurrection on Easter Sunday.
In Hebrews 12:2, St. Paul exhorts us by saying, “…keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.” Sometimes we read and hear what the Bible says, but we never take it to heart by incorporating it into our daily lives.
Right after the Last Supper given in Luke’s account, the Agony in the Garden, the writer goes on to say in Luke 22:39-42: “Then going out He went, as was His custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him. When He arrived at the place He said to them, “Pray that you may not undergo the test.” After withdrawing about a stone’s throw from them and kneeling, He prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.”
There are several key points in this scripture passage. First, our attitude should always be one of trust in God in our lives. Second, we should cultivate the habit of daily prayer as the way to deepen our relationship with God. Third, we should have a quiet place where we can retreat for prayer.
For Jesus, prayer was a custom, a habit, the usual way of talking with His Father. If you cherish a relationship, how often do you speak to that person? Is it once a year or is it a daily practice? Our spiritual relationship with God requires personal committed communication – and this is done through prayer. The closer we are to God, the more we pray. Hence, St. Paul urged us to pray without ceasing. (1 Thess 5:17)
In Matthew 6:5-8, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us, “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
Do you have a place to pray where you can close out the world? This would be a location where you personally encounter God each day. Of course, we can pray in our car or standing at the checkout line at Wal-Mart. But given what Jesus said, do you have a specific, peaceful place in your home where you can pour out your heart to your Father? It doesn’t need to be a large or luxurious shrine, just a place devoted to God.
Recently I was invited to the home of St. Aloysius parishioners Bill and Linda Sylvester, to see their prayer room. There I felt peace, as this quiet place is filled with religious memories such as Linda’s first Holy Communion candle and a statute of Mary given to her by her mother. Bill also has a treasured memory from his first Holy Communion, and there are several figures of Jesus, St. Anthony, St. Teresa, the Infant of Prague and more. A painting, depicting Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, hangs on the wall. Also in the room are two chairs and a small table where devotionals, pamphlets, rosary beads, and a well-worn Bible have been placed.
This simple, quiet prayer room is their place to encounter God, offering a place of solitude, safety, convenience and comfort. And because it’s in their home, it’s always available and enables them to cultivate a daily discipline of prayer. You can’t pass it every day and not feel the desire to pray!
Like Linda and Bill, other Catholic families have similar arrangements, either an entire room, a prayer garden, or just a table set aside for prayer.
I encourage you to create your own quiet place where you and your family can pray, a place where everyone can escape from the world and encounter God. You won’t regret it.
Bobby Speers is a writer who lives in Hickory and serves as chairperson of St. Aloysius Church’s evangelization commission.