Praying in the Heart

But look at the men who have those perverted notions about the grace of Jesus Christ which has come down to us, and see how contrary to the mind of God they are. . . . They even abstain from the Eucharist and from the public prayers, because they will not admit that the Eucharist is the self-same body of our Saviour Jesus Christ which flesh suffered for our sins, and which the Father of His goodness raised up again. – Saint Ignatious of Antioch

The heart is our meeting place with God; there we make ourselves present to God’s presence. Through entering into our heart, we begin to pray: we enter into familiar conversation with Jesus, and through him with the Father. As one spiritual writer well says, ‘our lips and our mouth recite prayers, our intellect practices reflection and meditation, our heart and our mind are lifted up to God.’

In a beautiful passage, the Catechism comments on the biblical meaning of the heart. ‘The heart is the dwelling place, where I am, where I live…” (2562) our hidden centre, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully.

In Scripture the heart denotes the innermost core of our being, the centre of our yearning and longing, our desires and our fears, our generous responses and our hard-heartedness. ‘Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God’ (Matt. 5:8).

Whether we are beginners or have been praying for many years, there will be a battle in our hearts until they are transformed totally to the likeness of Christ. If we are to begin to pray seriously, our hearts must be awakened to the love of the Father revealed through Jesus, his Beloved.

For me, prayer is a surge of the heart, it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy. – St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Saint Paul summons us to pray: ‘Rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances’ (1 Thess. 5:16-18). All that we have comes as gift – life, health, hopes but, most of all, the divine life within us. Prayer acknowledges that gift; prayer deepens and strengthens our relationship with God, our Creator, Redeemer and Life-giver.

As we come into the presence of the Lord, we should recall and affirm in our heart some of the basic truths of our faith. ‘I know that God created me out of love, has cared for me and will care for me; I know that Jesus gave his life for me out of love; I know that the Holy Spirit is with me, the gift of Jesus at my baptism; I know that Jesus is interceding for me before the heavenly Father.’

Such acts of faith strengthen us, particularly in times of anxiety and discouragement. In moments of anxiety, we can trust and ask what the Lord wants us to learn. In times of discouragement, when our prayer is dry and God seems far away, we must learn, with Mary, to ‘keep all these things in our heart’, to hold fast to the basic truths that we have affirmed, and to continue to trust and pray!