St.
Josemaria believed that ordinary people can grow close
to God in their everyday lives. He believed that when
people are moving closer to God they become more productive,
more generous, and more loving. In short: they become
happier.
This
section includes some tips on how to grow close to God.
Don’t try them all at once; incorporate a few and
see how they help you. When you become more confident
with what suits you, you can develop a more structured
prayer life. Developing a personal and unique relationship
with God is life’s most exciting journey; we hope
we can help you on your way!
Everyone
can be happy. Everyone can be a saint.
St. Josemaria believed that when Jesus said “be
perfect as your heavenly father is perfect” (Mt.
5:48) He was calling all of us to grow close to God; to
be saints. Whether we are priests, nuns, doctors, teachers
or bus drivers, we can all be close to God.
Turn
work into prayer
St. Josemaria believed that happiness comes when we develop
a close friendship with God. To be friends with God we
need to talk with him often and get to know him. We call
this conversation prayer. St. Josemaria believed that
we can get to know God by turning our whole lives into
a conversation with Him; by turning our whole lives into
prayer. St. Josemaria urged people to try to incorporate
the following types of prayer into their lives:
| 1.
Prayer through Actions |
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|
Begin the day promptly by waking up on time and
greeting God. The simple act of getting out of bed
on time can be a way of saying “good morning”
to God. St. Josemaria encouraged people to remember
that God is always present in their lives and that
their actions should reflect His presence.
Offer
Jesus small activities by quickly telling Him that
you will do them well for Him. For most of us, our
average day will be spent performing very ordinary
tasks: making breakfast, taking out the garbage,
going to the office etc. When we offer these things
to God they become prayer. For example “Jesus,
I won’t complain about the garbage smelling
because I love you” or “Lord, I will
butter this toast for my daughter because I love
you.” St. Josemaria also encouraged people
to say aspirations as they work. Aspirations are very simple and short
prayers, for example simply saying the name ‘Jesus.’
Start
and end each task by offering it to God. Sometimes
our work takes all our attention and we cannot speak
to God frequently while we are doing it. In these
cases we can do our work very well and tell God
later that we did our best for Him. |
| 2. |
Prayer
through Words
Pray vocally for several minutes each day. Reciting
prayers orally is what most people think of when they
hear the word “prayer.” For ordinary people,
vocal prayer comprises a very small but important
part of their lives. St. Josemaria had a great love
of the Blessed Virgin Mary and encouraged people to Rosary
each day. He also encouraged people to greet God each
day with a morning offering. |
| 3. |
Prayer
through Contemplation
St. Josemaria urged Christians to set aside several
minutes each day for mental prayer. Mental
prayer is finding quiet time to converse with
God in our own words. We can speak to him about anything
that may be on our minds. An important aspect of mental
prayer is listening to what God may be whispering
to us. Often reading
the scriptures or other spiritual literature is a
good way to feed mental prayer. Visiting Jesus in
the tabernacle or in Adoration
can be an excellent place for mental prayer. St. Josemaria
also taught people to contemplate the day’s
decisions each night with an examination
of conscience. |
| 4. |
Prayer
through the Mass
Try to attend Mass often, daily, if possible. Each
Mass is the sacrifice of the Cross offered again;
it is Jesus offering Himself again to His Father,
God. For Catholics, the greatest prayer is the sacrifice
of the Mass. In Communion we receive Jesus personally
in the Eucharist. At the Mass we recall our worries,
joys and concerns and offer them to God along with
the Eucharist.
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