Prayer, Speaking to God

Prayer is directing our affections towards God; it is a devout and friendly talk with Him.  It is the tranquility of a mind illumined from above.

Prayer is also a plea for temporal goods that are necessary for earthly life.  But those who pray ask the Lord with a true Christian spirit to subordinate their own wills to His: only the heavenly Father knows what one really needs in the temporal order.

Finally, prayer is thanksgiving, that is, an acknowledgement of benefits received, and an offering of all our undertakings to God so that our prayer may be a lasting one.

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The Lord manifests Himself to those who pause while in peace and humility of heart.  If you look into the murky and turbulent waters, you cannot see your own countenance.  If you want the face of Christ to appear in your countenance, pause, collect your thoughts in silence, and shut the door of the soul to the noise of exterior things.

The greetings of the angels and the blessings of the Good are not for those who live in public squares, that is, outside of themselves, agitated and distracted.  The sweet "Ave" was addressed to the Virgin Mary when she was absorbed in prayer, in the privacy of her house...God, in order to be able to speak to the soul and fill it with the knowledge of his love, leads it to the solitude, detaching it from preoccupations of earthly things.  He speaks to the ears of those who are silent and makes them hear His secrets.

(From the Sermons of St. Anthony)

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