How often we experience a real struggle in offering heartfelt prayers to God. How often we say words as we attempt to pray and wonder if they even ascend above the very roof of our home. Though we offer our prayers with good intention, we may not always leave feeling as though we’ve connected with God. We wonder if maybe we’re not doing something right. What we are experiencing is a dissension between the spirit, which is willing, and the flesh, which is either more interested in staying ... [Read more]
The Ladder of Divine Ascent on Prayer
The goal of all spiritual labors is communion with God. We do not seek an abstract vision of the Divine, nor do we labor for a legal verdict declaring us “not guilty.” Rather, we aim at communion and union; we set our sights on the true, intimate knowledge of God which is “life eternal” (John 17:3). According to St. John, prayer must be looked at as both the means to and the achievement of this knowledge. The goal of prayer is God. This is important to note as we begin. In prayer and through ... [Read more]
