Prayer is a way to communicate with God, our Father, and to deepen our love for him. It is an opportunity to get to know his heart and to be in communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is also a time of rest, of listening, and of “being” with the Lord. Catholic meditative prayer helps us to surrender our hearts to him and to further understand his will for our lives. Below are a few ways we can benefit from meditative prayer in order to enhance our relationship with Jesus.
Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina is a traditional monastic practice of scriptural reading including prayer and meditation to assist in deepening our communion with God. It is done through reading a passage of scripture, sentence, or word and then taking time to reflect afterwards. During a time of silence and deep thought, we can draw out which words or words came to mind. This enables us to see how and where God is speaking to us in our hearts during this time of reflection. If in a group study, we can discuss our thoughts with others regarding how the Lord has revealed himself to us. Lectio Divina is a method of Catholic meditative prayer that is extremely helpful in terms of nourishing our spiritual lives.
Listening better
When we learn to listen more attentively to other people in daily life, it is a good practice for our relationship with God. We live in a world of busy-ness and distractions. Being intentional when it comes to our interactions with others people and being more other-focused enables us to live a richer and fuller life with the Lord. We begin to see goodness all around us when we listen better to the needs of those in need. Doing so also helps us to meditate during those quiet times of the day where God speaks to us in the silence of the moment. He is always there to accompany us as we listen and experience life to the fullest.
Meditation and the Eucharist
When we receive Christ’s Body and Blood at Mass, it is the perfect time to meditate and reflect on his presence within us. We may feel inclined to pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary, or another prayer, and this is very good. However, meditating on the Liturgy of the Word, the homily, or on another aspect of God’s presence is another way to draw ever nearer to the Lord. The time in prayer after receiving Jesus is an opportunity to meditate and pray while he is within us body, mind, and soul. It is a precious time of prayer to be cherished.
Catholic meditative prayer helps us to quiet or minds and hearts to experience God’s presence to the fullest. It is different than contemplative prayer since it is rooted in meditating on something such as a scriptural text, a thought rooted in faith, or even sacred art. This type of prayer can help us to focus on God in our lives in a more profound way as we allow him to lead us closer to him. As we continue this practice daily, we will grow in virtue and most of all in love with God in all that we do.
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