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 |
| |
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 say the 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.
|
To
read what St. Josemaria wrote about the Mass click
here
To
read what St. Josemaria had to say about incorporating
spiritual practices into your day click
here
Click here for a list of ideas on how you can grow closer
to God each day by forming what St. Josemaria called
a Plan of Life.
To
read what St. Josemaria wrote about prayer click
here
Smile, God is your Father!
St. Josemaria believed that God cares for each person
as a loving Father. This belief gave him very deep peace
and joy that could not be disturbed even by great suffering.
To
read what St. Josemaria wrote about God as our Father
click
here
