Duc in Altum

I have been thinking about prayer based on some recent posts by The Heart of a Seminarian:

At the heart of the Catholic Faith is prayer. Through prayer we encounter God. The Infinite Being Who has existed from all time desires to have a relationship with each one of us. The means by which we have that relationship is prayer. Essentially it is a conversation with God. In His mercy, He allows an exchange to take place with Him at the level with which we are comfortable. If we are close to Him, the conversation is intimate. If we are angry with Him, it tends to be a very one-sided conversation. If we have sinned, we might be distant although He is ready to welcome our return.

God longs to speak with us. Yes, He really longs to talk to you and to me. He created us simply in order that He might love us. That love is manifest through our relationship with Him. We are the only ones who are able to frustrate that love. How do we frustrate it? We change the level of prayer. At one extreme, we can cut off the communication by serious sin or by never praying. Never praying would be never thinking of God or never trying to listen to Him. We can also frustrate His love by only approaching Him when we need something from Him like He is a distant rich uncle with influence.

In order to help us to pray, He has given us many things to help us. The most important aid is the liturgy, particularly the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Through the mass, we are able to participate in the Heavenly Banquet of the Bridegroom and His Bride who is the Church. Through the Eucharist, we receive the grace we need to overcome ourselves, particularly the parts of us that want to frustrate God's love penetrating into our hearts.

As we grow in our relationship with God, we grow in our appreciation of the mass and its deep prayerfulness. We also have the liturgy of the hours, devotions, litanies, novenas, relics, prayer cards, and the saints. All of this is directed by God to bring us into conversation with Him. He loves us so much that He will call to us in so many ways that He knows touches our heart. He appeals to us through these prayer aids in order that we might draw closer to Him and really develop a loving relationship with Him.

When I think of Who God is, I am truly amazed at how much He loves us. He really loves us. Then I think of how little I love Him. And then I realize it is because I have a miserable relationship with Him. I think about Him in all of the wrong ways. He wants to love me, and I want Him for what He can do for me. He wants to love me, and I want to talk with Him when it is convenient. He wants to love me, and I keep telling him later will be more convenient.

Well, later probably will not be more convenient. What about praying now?