“O Jesus, my Master and my Director, it is only with You that I can converse. With no one else is it so easy to talk as with You, O God.” Divine Mercy in my soul # 670
”Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.“ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Prayer is one of the greatest gifts we have from God. It doesn’t have to be grand words in great style and artistry. Sometimes it can even be one of silence. To me, prayer is a simple conversation with God. It is time to talk to my Father, to Jesus or the Holy Ghost.
I do call out to each of the Persons of the Trinity, nearly on a daily basis. I find myself drawn in different situation to the Father, the Son and/or the Holy Spirit.
My conversations and relationship with my dad set the stage for my conversations with my Heavenly Father. When I need a strong figure to strengthen me, an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry upon or some wisdom, it is God my Father to Whom I turn. He is always there, has always been there in all the toughest times of my life and in the high points, I feel His proud smile upon me. God the Father is wisdom and omniscience, He always is willing to guide me to make the right choices – when I ask.
It is so easy to come to Jesus. There is a line in ‘The Shack’ that drives this reason home for me. The man looks at Jesus and asks, ‘why is it so easy to talk to You?’ Jesus replies, ‘because I AM a man just like you.’ That’s not an exact quote but you get the point. Jesus is easy to turn to because He lived a life like us (in all but sin) and understands why we think or do what we do. Also, in Jesus we have a face. We see Him in art, especially in the Image of Divine Mercy. In a sense, we can look into His eyes. I realized the power of this when my daughter showed me the image of the man who visited her, the man who said He was Jesus. This image moves me to this day. When I was writing my book, I Knew His Voice, I remembered her words when she pointed out the image she saw. I asked if that was Him, Jesus, the man she saw, her response resounds in my ears, ‘yes, that’s the man I saw, though His eyes are much more beautiful in real life.’ When I was writing this part of the book, I looked up the story of Colton in ‘Heaven is Really and saw the same words. When his dad showed him this image of Jesus and asked if that was Jesus, expecting another no, Colton responded, “that’s Him, except His eyes are much more beautiful in real life’. That led me to an interview with the artist, Akiane Kramarik. When asked after painting ‘the Prince of Peace’ if that was what Jesus looked like, she replied, ‘yes, but I couldn’t capture the beauty of Eyes in he paint’. To see one’s eyes is to look into one’s soul, image looking into Jesus’ eyes and seeing the love and mercy within. Breathtaking thought.
I discovered several years ago teaching teens at out Life Teen program that the Holy Spirit was highly ‘under utilized’. What I mean is that so many of us turn quickly to Jesus or the Father bit often forget the Spirit’s power and actions in our lives. That evening, I decided to make a point to spend time with the Holy Spirit each day. That action has changed my world from black and white to full technicolor. To see the world through His eyes and actions, to see myself through His eyes, has been a game changer. Speaking to the Spirit has opened my eyes to the beauty of Mary and the importance and power of her intercession. It has also given me a clearer view of God’s actions in the world.
Prayer is a fantastic gift, the soul needs to delve deeply into this power. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are waiting to spend time conversing with us, listening to us and guiding us in this special time.
of course, my favorite prayer by far is the one Jesus Himself have to me February 11, 2011, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.