Prayer

”Prayer is thus the search for a relationship. ‘My God, if you insist, make me know you,’ exclaimed Pascal, and that will be our exclamation as our inner longing for God gradually wakens to the fact that without him we are nothing. When things get to this stage in prayer, instead of thinking that something might be wrong with our prayer, we should recognize in it a real sign of growth, stability, and maturity. It is a cause for great thanksgiving when we are prepared to make the leap of faith at the call of God into a way of praying that may seem dark and meaningless, but which, in reality, is an invitation of love to greater intimacy. This is the reality of the situation, though we ourselves may be aware of nothing except our inability to formulate our deepest longings. In this relationship we must be childlike, believing that God knows the inner secrets of our hearts and that there is no need for us to formulate them in words.” (6)

Mother Mary Clare SLG. Encountering the Depths: Prayers, Solitude, and Contemplation. Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1993