Essence of Prayer (Hiddenspring)

for God to `touch' me, however lightly, means I suffer. I begin to shrivel up, to experience something of my sinfulness and total helplessness. I will come to realise with poignant intensity that I know nothing about God, that to me he has not yet revealed hisname. I had thought I was spiritual, contemplative even; and now I see that I am an empty

Christian prayer is nothing other than being present to God so that God can give to us. The only thing that matters is that we believe this and stay there with Him, regardless of how we feel or don't feel.

Everything depends, too, on our handing ourselves over to God's loving designs, asking for no tangible certainties.

The significance of the cross is not suffering but obedience: doing the Father's will regardless of whether it is easy or hard.

Everything depends on our believing God is Love, utterly faithful, good and generous.

Prayer is not just one function in life, not even the most important function; it is life itself. We are truly alive, truly human, only when our whole life is prayer.

When we find ourselves dissatisfied or anxious about our prayer it is worth asking ourselves the question: `What do I really want?' and trying to listen honestly to the answer. We can be fairly certain that it will be some kind of ego-satisfaction.

On our side prayer is simply being there: open, exposed, inviting God to do all God wants. Prayer is not our activity, our getting in touch with God, our coming to grips with or making ourselves desirable to God. We can do none of these things, nor do we need to, for God is there ready to do everything for us, loving us unconditionally.

Friends of God? Can it be? Yes. But there is only one way: by becoming `son'; by accepting the friendship and companionship of Jesus so as to learn sonship from him and share in his sonship. In practice this means being utterly unimportant to ourselves, becoming selfless and empty, nothing but an echo -