Prayer, Patience and Perseverance
Building Blocks in the Storm
By: Eric Gajewski
St. John Chrysostom said it is
impossible to lead a virtuous life without prayer and yet how many Christians
have it on the forefront of their minds to be virtuous? Sure, we study doctrine and get caught up in
the fight against the Novus Ordites but what about the interior state of your
soul? Without prayer we are a boat
without a sail on life’s endless seas and we need to stay connected to God (the
Wind) otherwise we go nowhere. Our Ship
must be led by this Wind and not ourselves.
The whole goal of this life is to leave behind the self altogether for
God Himself. A movement from self to the
Sacred Heart of Christ with aide of the Immaculate Heart. It is God Himself who “will allow or send”
the Storm, therefore, the man, who is not centered in prayer, will stand no
chance in surviving the Storm. It is in
this Storm we acquire patience itself or a greater patience. It is from enduring “storm after to storm”,
that we, ultimately, learn to persevere in grace. It is not by our strength that we will make
it to the blue skies and rainbow on the other side of the trial. No, all glory and honor is given to God with
special veneration to Our Lady who aides in our trials and afflictions. We need God like a boat needs a motor or sail
but modern man moves along the surface of the seas without either. When will he (modern man) realize that He
will sink and drown once the Storm arrives?
To pray or not that is the
question. So many of us go through
prayer like we are reading the Sunday morning newspaper. We are moving through our prayer rehearsed
and not giving the time to God to truly “connect”. He wants our hearts He does not want
teleprompter readers. Take “at least” an
hour a day out in silence and solitude to really pour out your heart to
God. This is for the novice. Yet, the reality is we must be praying “interiorly
ongoingly” throughout the day. Did not
the Saints like St. Bernard tell us this much?
What loving wife does not want to hear from her husband
consistently? The good news is that our God
is a jealous God and does want to hear from us consistently. Furthermore, if you find you are suffering
much (carrying heavy crosses) perhaps God is trying to keep you inward in
prayer? Perhaps he sees you on the
surface too much giving into distraction and making no interior progress
whatsoever. Our goal in this life is not
our happiness my friends. Have we
thought about this? Our goal is to
please God in all we do. Just as a fish
must stay in water to survive, essentially, we must, as spiritual creatures,
learn to stay within and breathe the Divine air. How few Christians truly pray with the intent
of pleasing God. Yet this is the
ultimate end. To do God’s Will is our
goal and how hard it is to achieve for the man of prayer. Thus, the man who doesn’t pray stands no
chance.
Without prayer there is no
patience. The man who doesn’t pray lives
according to self (objectively speaking) and cannot wait on Gods Will for he is
“his own god”. The world revolves around
him and if his plan does not work than his boat sinks in the storm. God, of course, wants the nations to be at
peace but it must come from Christ and His Catholic Church. Churchmen in the Church are now preaching a
false man centered peace that involves all false religions and sects. It will fail miserably and all those who soon
follow the false doctrines of Vatican II will likely follow the Beast. Yet the Beast will drown in the lake of fire
forever. I can recall going through such
harsh sufferings that I literally “gave up” and said I resist no more and this
is exactly what God wanted to hear. This
was the whole point. He was showing me
that it was His strength that was taking me through this Storm and that He
would end the Storm when He saw fit. This
can only be accomplished through grace. Self
must be obliterated and be consumed in the Fire of His Sacred Heart. If you are a very impatient person it is
because the self is still very alive in you.
It means Storms must come to “slow down” your feet so that you might
follow His path not your own. If
something “good” doesn’t workout it means it was truly not good in the first
place or He simply has something better planned for you. Ever think God has “your back” instead of
always assuming the worst? We only think
negatively in this sense when our pride goes before us. Who do you trust? You and your judgement or God’s?
Patience over time produces perseverance. Sure, you may have patience in a trial or two
but this does not mean you will persevere unto the end. We all should pray for perseverance. Pray and wait upon the Lord. How many of us run to the Lord upon the
outset of the Storm and try to wake Him?
This is only natural but we recall Our Lord’s response to the Apostle’s
on the boat in the Storm. He wasn’t too
happy to see that they weren’t demonstrating Faith. We all have done likewise. Follow the Divine blueprint in Scripture…Faith
over fear. Keep in patience throughout
your trials and you will begin to see the fruits of these trials and
afflictions. The Cross molds us
Christians and keeps unbelievers “moldy” with self. If we want to become like Christ how can we
progress interiorly without prayer and a growth in patience and Selfless love? A soul may reach spiritual perfection and in
one defiant act of self (mortal sin) lose his soul. Thus, we must watch over our hearts and
persevere. The “now” culture of this
modern society is about to get a rude awakening with the Tribulation
coming. We want to “drive up” to the sacraments
and get a quick fix and say to God see you next Sunday as we drive off with our
“happy meal”. Brethren, it doesn’t work
like this. Let us pray that we keep ourselves
low enough so that God can exalt us on the other side of the Storm, amen.
Prayer
Quotes:
Prayer
is an aspiration of the heart, it is a simple glance directed to heaven, it is
a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trail as well as joy; finally, it
is something great, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites me to Jesus.
--St.Therese of Lisieux
"Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you."
--St. Augustine
You pay God a compliment by asking great things of Him.
--St. Teresa of Avila
It is simply impossible to lead, without the aid of prayer, a virtuous life.
--Saint John Chrysostom
"There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers."
--St. teresa of Avila
Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven.
--Saint Ephraem of Syria
What prayer could be more true before God the Father than that which the Son, who is Truth, uttered with His own lips?
--Saint John Chrysostom
Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source of constant happiness, a protection against sadness.
--St. John Chrysostom
Let us all resign ourselves into His hands, and pray that in all things He may guide us to do His Holy Will ... When thoughts of this or that come I turn to Him and say: "Only what you will, my God. Use me as You will".
--Blessed Mary MacKillop
The most potent and acceptable prayer is the prayer that leaves the best effects. I don't mean it must immediately fill the soul with desire . . . The best effects [are] those that are followed up by actions-----when the soul not only desires the honor of God, but really strives for it.
--St. Teresa of Avila
'He who prays most receives most.'
--St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
My little children, your hearts, are small, but prayer stretches them and makes them capable of loving God. Through prayer we receive a foretaste of heaven and something of paradise comes down upon us. Prayer never leaves us without sweetness. It is honey that flows into the souls and makes all things sweet. When we pray properly, sorrows disappear like snow before the sun.
--Saint John Vianney
“Private prayer is like straw scattered here and there: If you set it on fire it makes a lot of little flames. But gather these straws into a bundle and light them, and you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky; public prayer is like that.”
--Saint John Vianney
'We must speak to God as a friend speaks to his friend, servant to his master; now asking some favor, now acknowledging our faults, and communicating to Him all that concerns us, our thoughts, our fears, our projects, our desires, and in all things seeking His counsel.'
--St. Ignatius of Loyola
During mental prayer, it is well, at times, to imagine that many insults and injuries are being heaped upon us, that misfortunes have befallen us, and then strive to train our heart to bear and forgive these things patiently, in imitation of our Saviour. This is the way to acquire a strong spirit.
--St. Philip Neri
How often I failed in my duty to God, because I was not leaning on the strong pillar of prayer.
--St. Teresa of Avila
Don't imagine that, if you had a great deal of time, you would spend more of it in prayer. Get rid of that idea; it is no hindrance to prayer to spend your time well.
--St. Teresa of Avila
Jacob did not cease to be a Saint because he had to attend to his flocks.
--St. Teresa of Avila
Prayer ought to be humble, fervent, resigned, persevering, and accompanied with great reverence. One should consider that he stands in the presence of a God, and speaks with a Lord before whom the angels tremble from awe and fear.
--Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi
We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend upon material success . . . but on Jesus alone.
--St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
"The prayer most pleasing to God is that made for others and particularly for the poor souls. Pray for them, if you want your prayers to bring high interest."
--Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
Anyone who has the habit of speaking before God's majesty as if he were speaking to a slave, careless about how he is speaking, and saying whatever comes into his head and whatever he's learned from saying prayers at other times, in my opinion is not praying. Please, God, may no Christian pray in this way.
--St. Teresa of Avila
I would never want any prayer that would not make the virtues grow within me.
--St. Teresa of Avila
Let him never cease from prayer who has once begun it, be his life ever so wicked; for prayer is the way to amend it, and without prayer such amendment will be much more difficult.
--St. Teresa of Avila
Vocal prayer . . . must be accompanied by reflection. A prayer in which a person is not aware of Whom he is speaking to, what he is asking, who it is who is asking and of Whom, I don't call prayer-----however much the lips may move.
--St. Teresa of Avila
One must not think that a person who is suffering is not praying. He is offering up his sufferings to God, and many a time he is praying much
more truly than one who goes away by himself and meditates his head off, and, if he has squeezed out a few tears, thinks that is prayer.
--St. Teresa of Avila
--St.Therese of Lisieux
"Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you."
--St. Augustine
You pay God a compliment by asking great things of Him.
--St. Teresa of Avila
It is simply impossible to lead, without the aid of prayer, a virtuous life.
--Saint John Chrysostom
"There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers."
--St. teresa of Avila
Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven.
--Saint Ephraem of Syria
What prayer could be more true before God the Father than that which the Son, who is Truth, uttered with His own lips?
--Saint John Chrysostom
Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source of constant happiness, a protection against sadness.
--St. John Chrysostom
Let us all resign ourselves into His hands, and pray that in all things He may guide us to do His Holy Will ... When thoughts of this or that come I turn to Him and say: "Only what you will, my God. Use me as You will".
--Blessed Mary MacKillop
The most potent and acceptable prayer is the prayer that leaves the best effects. I don't mean it must immediately fill the soul with desire . . . The best effects [are] those that are followed up by actions-----when the soul not only desires the honor of God, but really strives for it.
--St. Teresa of Avila
'He who prays most receives most.'
--St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
My little children, your hearts, are small, but prayer stretches them and makes them capable of loving God. Through prayer we receive a foretaste of heaven and something of paradise comes down upon us. Prayer never leaves us without sweetness. It is honey that flows into the souls and makes all things sweet. When we pray properly, sorrows disappear like snow before the sun.
--Saint John Vianney
“Private prayer is like straw scattered here and there: If you set it on fire it makes a lot of little flames. But gather these straws into a bundle and light them, and you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky; public prayer is like that.”
--Saint John Vianney
'We must speak to God as a friend speaks to his friend, servant to his master; now asking some favor, now acknowledging our faults, and communicating to Him all that concerns us, our thoughts, our fears, our projects, our desires, and in all things seeking His counsel.'
--St. Ignatius of Loyola
During mental prayer, it is well, at times, to imagine that many insults and injuries are being heaped upon us, that misfortunes have befallen us, and then strive to train our heart to bear and forgive these things patiently, in imitation of our Saviour. This is the way to acquire a strong spirit.
--St. Philip Neri
How often I failed in my duty to God, because I was not leaning on the strong pillar of prayer.
--St. Teresa of Avila
Don't imagine that, if you had a great deal of time, you would spend more of it in prayer. Get rid of that idea; it is no hindrance to prayer to spend your time well.
--St. Teresa of Avila
Jacob did not cease to be a Saint because he had to attend to his flocks.
--St. Teresa of Avila
Prayer ought to be humble, fervent, resigned, persevering, and accompanied with great reverence. One should consider that he stands in the presence of a God, and speaks with a Lord before whom the angels tremble from awe and fear.
--Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi
We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend upon material success . . . but on Jesus alone.
--St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
"The prayer most pleasing to God is that made for others and particularly for the poor souls. Pray for them, if you want your prayers to bring high interest."
--Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
Anyone who has the habit of speaking before God's majesty as if he were speaking to a slave, careless about how he is speaking, and saying whatever comes into his head and whatever he's learned from saying prayers at other times, in my opinion is not praying. Please, God, may no Christian pray in this way.
--St. Teresa of Avila
I would never want any prayer that would not make the virtues grow within me.
--St. Teresa of Avila
Let him never cease from prayer who has once begun it, be his life ever so wicked; for prayer is the way to amend it, and without prayer such amendment will be much more difficult.
--St. Teresa of Avila
Vocal prayer . . . must be accompanied by reflection. A prayer in which a person is not aware of Whom he is speaking to, what he is asking, who it is who is asking and of Whom, I don't call prayer-----however much the lips may move.
--St. Teresa of Avila
One must not think that a person who is suffering is not praying. He is offering up his sufferings to God, and many a time he is praying much
more truly than one who goes away by himself and meditates his head off, and, if he has squeezed out a few tears, thinks that is prayer.
--St. Teresa of Avila
TradCatKnight Radio: "A Life Of Prayer: Prepare Or Not Care?"
