“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Pray unceasingly. God speaks to us in Scripture, we speak back to Him in prayer (oratio). St. Cyprian and St. Augustine tell us so still today. Do you remember their quotes?
“Diligently practice prayer and lectio divina.
~St. Cyprian
When you pray, you speak with God, when you read, God speaks to you.”
“When we pray, we speak to God;
~St. Augustine
when we read Scripture, God speaks to us.”
Notice, God speaks first to us. How do I respond to what God has spoken to me? Our response of prayer should follow the example of humility and obedience from Our Blessed Mother:
“‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the LORD; let it be to me according to your word.'”
~Luke 1:38
Maybe our “oratio” is a song of praise or thanksgiving as in Mary’s Magnificat:
“‘My soul magnifies the LORD, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth, all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name…'”
~Luke 1:47-49
Or, we can pray the structured prayers of the Our Father Prayer or the Hail Mary or one of the Psalms (God’s own Words) in response. Maybe our prayer is specific to the verse that challenged us: “Heavenly Father, help me not too…”. Or, maybe our response is simply, “LORD, I do not understand.” Either way, in order to continue our conversation with God (who spoke first), we respond.
“The important thing in mental prayer is not to think much but to love much.”
~St. Teresa of Avila
Next Step: Contemplatio