The Blessings of a Good Prayer Life

Introduction. I would like to conclude this series of teachings on Prayer by pointing out the fruit of a good prayer life. This may serve as an added encouragement to put into practice what we have learned during this novena.

First, prayer is the chief means of developing a deep union with God and growing in holiness. This is the most precious blessing to be gained from a good prayer life. We can see how prayer produces such fruit in many ways.

Prayer is conversing with God. Our love of God grows as we keep company with him, as we speak with him, and mostly as we listen to him. Lovers seek to spend time together and, as they do, their love grows. That's why it is so imperative that married people find time, make time to be together, to enjoy each other's company and thus keep their love alive and growing. When you neglect this, your love begins to wither and die, usually without your even noticing it. If you want to have a good friendship with God, make time every day to spend with him in prayer. "Until we have learned to meditate to some extent, we are destined to live a superficial spiritual life." (Rev. Ed. Murray: How to Grow in Prayer, p. 20) Our spiritual life acquires depth through prayer. Meditation is not a luxury; it's a necessity.

Prayer has often been called the "respiration of the soul." Like breathing for our body, prayer keeps us spiritually alive. We breathe God into our soul, so to speak, as we think of him. It's like inhaling fresh air. Then, we breathe out our love of God as we speak to him. Through prayer, God becomes the life of our soul.

Another important benefit of mental prayer, especially listening to God, as he speaks to our heart in his own mysterious way, is that we experience that he is real. We not only know it in our mind, but we experience it in our heart. We know we have in some way been in touch with God. Nothing can better make our faith come alive and make us grow in our intimacy with God.

You might ask: how does God speak to our heart? St. Bernard has explained this better than anyone else I know. I would like to summarize what he says in a few simple words. How do we experience the presence of God in our soul, since we do not see him, we do not hear him, we do not feel him coming in to visit us? St. Bernard tells us that we know he is there by what he does in us, the effects his presence produces in us. "The Word (of God) is alive and active: as soon as he enters into me, he awakens my sluggish soul. He moves, softens, wounds my heart, hard like a stone and sick. He warms that which is cold. (He uproots evil desires, the bad weeds in our soul.) Then my soul blesses the Lord and all in me praises his holy name."

In other words, we experience such a great love of God that we turn away from all sinful desires, and from all worldly vanities. That deep change of heart reveals to us the presence of God in us. That's how we experience his presence in us by the effects he produces in us.

Another spiritual writer has said about this sort of experience of God in prayer that "One hour spent listening to God speaking to our heart can give us a deeper insight into the things of God than an entire year spent in intense study" (Apostolus: L'office du silence, dans VIe Spirituelle, t. 50, 1957, p. 192).

St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest theologians of all times, said the same thing when he confessed, "I have learned more about the things of God at the foot of my crucifix (in prayer, in contemplation) than in all the books of the world." And he had read a lot of books, even written many books.

This is what Jesus was talking about when he said, quoting the prophet Isaiah: "They shall all be taught by God" (Jn 6:45. Cf. Isaiah 54:13). Thus is fulfilled the promise of Jesus: "The Holy Spirit will instruct you in everything" (Jn 14:26).

Another benefit we get from mental prayer: as prayer draws our heart powerfully to God, it detaches us from creatures. We can see the beauty of God's creatures and use them in a good and virtuous way, so that they lead us to God instead of turning us away from him. We no longer seek them and use them in a selfish way, and we are ready to give them up gladly if that is God's will. Our hearts become purified in the love of God from greed, envy, gluttony, and other sinful attachments to the things of this world.

As we grow in prayer, our life also becomes more and more God-centered. We are more and more aware of God's presence throughout the day. We are aware of his presence in our soul. We come to live more and more in the presence of God. We are drawn to him as by a magnet. We find our delight in God, as two married people who love each other very much find their delight in each other. And did you notice how they come to resemble each other in so many ways? That's how it is with people who love and admire each other. And so it is with us when we are deeply in love with God and we admire him very much. We come to think like him, we resemble him more and more, however imperfectly.

Finally, when God has overtaken our lives, we enjoy the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God (cf. Gal 5:22). We have especially a deep inner peace and joy that nothing can take away. No one has given it to us but God. It comes from our union with God. No one and nothing can take it away.

Another kind of fruit comes with the prayer of petition. Yes, the power of the prayer of petition is great, as we grow in faith and in the love of God. The blessings we obtain through prayer go on and on and on, blessing others indefinitely.

Take, for example, St. Stephen, the first martyr. As he was being stoned to death, Saul encouraged his enemies, filled as he then was with hatred for Christians. Stephen, dying, prayed for his enemies. His prayers obtained the conversion of Saul, who became the great St. Paul. Now, think of all the people St. Paul converted to Jesus, and they in turn continued to spread the faith and love of Jesus on, and on, and on. We cannot imagine all the good that spreads throughout the world because we pray for others.

Conclusion. What good comes to us and to the world through prayer! It is the secret of holiness, of happiness and of a fruitful life. Prayer can reach out beyond our personal limitations and change the world. As the English poet Tennyson wrote: "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of."

Prayer Novena Index