Scripture and Daily Prayer
Children merely look at their parents, having nothing to offer but trust and love. That is enough. When we are open to the Lord and look to him in trust and love, that is enough. We cannot solve all the world’s problems, but God can.
Getting close to God is as easy as our desire to do so. Scripture is God’s Word to us and is a daily contact with God. You can’t have much of a love affair without frequent communication.
Priests in the Catholic Church pray a daily breviary, which consists of psalms, scripture readings and various prayers. In 1214 the Blessed Virgin Mary gave St Dominic the Rosary as a daily prayer that puts us in touch with various scripture events in the life of Jesus.
The Rosary is a prayer Lay people can use if they do not have access to the breviary or the daily prayer of the church. I find both invaluable helps to staying in touch with the Lord.
I have noticed how the night prayer of the church gently reminds us of key aspects of our closeness to God. Take Psalm 114 for example. It reminds us of God’s intervention in the lives of his people. “Why is it, sea, that you fled, / That you turned your back, Jordan, on your course?”
“Tremble, o earth, before the Lord…who turns the rock into a pool / and flint into a spring of water.”
And 2 Corinthians 1: 3-7 follows: “Praised be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation! He comforts us in our afflictions and thus enables us to comfort those who are in trouble, with the same consolation we have received from him.”
We are reminded gently what God has done for us. “The whole creation proclaims the greatness of your glory. / Eternal ages praise the greatness of your glory.” Another evening prayer says: “In the Lord I have taken refuge” (Psalm 11).
The evening prayer asks: “Who shall be admitted to the heavens?” And the answer: “God chose us in him / before the world began / to be holy / and blameless in his sight” (Ephesians 1:3-10).
The Canticle (Ephesians quote) goes on to explain that God chose us as his adopted sons and daughters, that all might praise the glorious favour he has bestowed on us. His blood has redeemed us. Our sins are forgiven, and God’s favour is upon us.
Every evening prayer reinforces the bond between us and God. The gentle and frequent reminders work, over time, to reassure us of God’s continuous love.
The Rosary has the same effect as we contemplate the mysteries of the life of Christ: the incarnation, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the Church, the Holy Spirit, the Communion of Saints, and the various glorious miracles of the life of Christ.
God is faithful to us. The greatest gift we can give in return is our promise of fidelity. We will keep trying. Daily scripture reading and daily prayers will keep us in touch as we are exposed to God’s love and faithfulness.
Love of God is a simple choice, and we have assurances when Jesus is part of our daily lives. The Holy Spirit brings, “…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22).
Moving our prayer life into high gear by joining the church community in the greatest prayer Jesus left to us naturally follows our daily efforts.
(587 words)
