Perhaps the most beautiful truth about prayer is that it is never really ours. We do not control its dimensions, its scope, or even its productivity. We may grab our rosary beads, drag ourselves to Mass, recite the psalms five times a day as we have promised, or pray the words of our favorite chaplet, but the impetus is always from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit uses the various forms of prayer by which we approach God in order to instruct, strengthen, and nourish us. The Spirit is the living water Jesus promised the Samaritan woman.
Through the movement of the rosary beads, the rhythm of the liturgy, the familiarity of the psalms, and other modes of Christian prayer, we stir up the living water who, in turn, gathers all we long to say and need to say when presenting us to the Father.
—from the book Prayer Everywhere: The Spiritual Life Made Simple
by Fr. Gary Caster
1 thought on “Prayer Is Never Ours”
Messages from the Holy Spirit come to each and every one of us each and every day. Perhaps if we stop to listen to what the Advocate is trying to tell us instead of filling our prayer time with petitions that try to tell God what to do, we’ll hear how we can be of help. Excerpt from Grace Notes by Sylvia Talkington