Hello, everyone.
I thought today I would share with you the November 7th reflection from
Medjugorje Day by Day, by Richard J. Beyer. This is one of my favorite Medjugorje-themed books because it offers short daily reflections on a past message from Our Lady. I highly recommend adding it to your library if you're seeking an easy and effective way to apply what Our Lady is teaching us through the Medjugorje visionaries to your life.
Used copies are currently selling for as little as $0.45 at Amazon.com.
The reflection below covers a topic near and dear to my heart: The idea prayer should be slow, deliberate, and deep. Words alone do not hold meaning. It is the conversation with God we experience while praying which gives us the benefit.
Erik Haan
Medjugorje Book Reviews
Here is today's reflection:
"May true prayer fill your hearts
The Blessed Mother speaks of prayers in the following message:
Dear children, today I call you to prayer with the heart, and not just through habit. Some come here but do not want to make progress in prayer. Therefore, as your Mother, I want to warn you: pray that true prayer may fill our hearts at every moment (WM 5-2-85). [Message from Our Lady May 5th, 1985].
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And from Psalm 141:
I call upon you, O Lord; come quickly to me;
give ear to my voice when I call to you.
Let my prayer be as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as an evening
sacrifice.
-- Psalm 141:1-2
Reflection: Again Our Lady speaks of prayer with the heart and the tremendous grace it gives. Perhaps the highest form of this prayer is the "prayer of quiet" or "centering prayer," in which we experience God in the very depths of our being. To experience this prayer, the following guidelines will be helpful:
A. Choose a place where you can be alone without distraction. Take a comfortable bodily position, close our eyes, and put everything out of our mind.
B. Physically relax and let all tensions leave you. Deep, deliberate breathing will aid this process. Let your total being, mind and body, arrive at a gentle silence.
C. Center all your attention on God and let a word or phrase form in your consciousness. You can use "Jesus," or "Jesus, have mercy," or "Come Holy Spirit," or whatever else will relate you to the Lord.
D. The word or phrase ma be repeated often or interspersed with periods of complete silence. This is your way of reaching out for and receiving the Lord.
E. Your prayer should end slowly and quietly. You may wish to recite an Our Father or Hail Mary meditatively. On occasion the Lord ma invite you to a deeper silence or listening and you will come to know the joy of his Spirit in fullest measure, even in ecstasy.
Application: Practice the prayer of quiet withing the next several days. For a fuller explanation consult
the books by Fr. Basil Pennington on centering prayer."
