"The Lord is with you" Luke 1:29

These are the words of the Angel to Mary whom that angel addressed as one who enjoyed God’s favor. The angel sounds a bit surprised.

Mary is not surprised about these particular words because she knew that God was with her. We have abundant evidence that Mary was a person of prayer. Mary lived the prayer of the heart.

This reality of the Presence of God with us is central to our faith. I think sometimes we say prayers and this is good, for it leads us to open our hearts to God. and then there is prayer which recognizes the intimacy of the Presence of God.. Sometimes we seek psychological states when the greatest reality is that of the Presence of God who looks upon us with love and desires an intimate relationship with each one of us. As it says in the book of Revelation: Behold I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in and sup with you, and you with me.”

Christian Meditation or centering prayer, or breath prayers or walking prayer are all ways to give attention to the reality that God is with us; that we open our hearts and minds to the desire that God has for us. Often we need to say to God: I believe you are with me, I believe you love me and seek my response – you are knocking at my inner door. You are asking me to open to you. Here I am Lord, I come to do your will. Or as Mary said: Here am I, the servant of the Lord, let it be with me according to your word.

God then serves us and so there is no longer servant relationship but we are friends. As Jesus Said -–I no longer call you servant I call you friends.

Let us begin each time of prayer with this profound act of Faith You, God of my heart, are with me. I believe You are here, that I live in you always. And You in me. Let us pray.

The Presence of God

"There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful, than that of a continual conversation with God. Those only can comprehend it who practice and experience it." ... Brother Lawrence. The Practice of the Presence of God.

This goes right along with what St. Paul tells us: Pray always. Or with what Jesus says to us: Abide in me as I abide in you.

And I was quite delighted to find Karl Rahner saying that since we are to pray always it is also OK to be always talking about prayer.

Continual conversation with God can be so simple. First we must believe that God is with us. That we live and breathe always in the Presence of God. There is never a moment of life that God is not with us because if God were not, we would not even be. Once we take that to heart, it is so simple: just refer all to God in almost any prayer at all that is addressed to God.

There is a certain kind of pride in thinking that we have to wait until we have it just right, or until we have it “all together” We are just human and that is why Jesus says to us Blessed are the poor in spirit’ theirs is the kingdom of God. That is, we just admit our life is a gift, we own nothing that we can take with us. we are not perfect, we are on a journey to fullness, In the meantime, we pray

A walking prayer is a good way to get into praying always. Just find a psalm verse or other short prayer and try saying it when ever you are walking to the car, to a store, from the car. . Up or down a flight of stairs. Standing in line. When you wake in the night. There are multiple opportunities. Just ask like the disciples did: Lord teach us to pray. Or Help me to remember you are with me. Or from Ps 23 Thou art with me.
Or as someone I know does, just keep saying Our Fathers, or Hail Marys.
Let us meditate.