From one of my favorite books, Weapons of the Spirit, concerning The Lack of Prayer is Lack of Love.
"The want of love for God shows up in a distaste for prayer and the exercises of devotion. Prayer is looked upon as pietism, idleness indulged in by those who have not the stomach for more strenuous activity.
Prayer -- mental prayer or meditation -- is our most direct way of expressing love for God. It is a union of our minds and hearts with Him, the beginning of that union with Him that will be consummated in heaven. 'Prayer is true happiness in this life,' said St. Jane Frances de Chantal. And of course she meant to be taken quite literally. To find prayer tedious and distasteful is to find God tedious and distasteful.
The insufficiency of prayer points to an even deeper trouble. It shows that such workers regard God's part in their projects as of less importance than their own activity. Almighty God is considered a sort of spectator along the sidelines, whom, by our prayers, we can perhaps change into an enthusiastic rooter for our private projects.
Prayer and a fervent interior life are not just graceful ornaments for the life of the apostle -- they are the instruments necessary for making his work spiritually fruitful. Failure to recognize this explains why the most frantic activity of Catholic organizations produces no spiritual results. St. Anthony, who spent whole nights in prayer, was more effective in his work for souls than the greatest of the modern go-getters, who are equipped with all the latest methods of doing things but have "no time to pray."
The person who has no time to pray is not doing God's work. We do not stint our time with those we love. The apostle who does not have time to pray has no ardent love for God. Yet since all human activity is finally motivated by some kind of love; apostolic activity, if it does not come from love of God, can only come from love of self."
As we claim to love God above everything else, do we take time to talk to Him? Do we include Him in everything we do or do we push Him aside and only look to Him when we are really in need? Do we praise Him for being who He is? Do we thank Him for our life and all the gifts that we have received? Where is God in your life?
"The want of love for God shows up in a distaste for prayer and the exercises of devotion. Prayer is looked upon as pietism, idleness indulged in by those who have not the stomach for more strenuous activity.
Prayer -- mental prayer or meditation -- is our most direct way of expressing love for God. It is a union of our minds and hearts with Him, the beginning of that union with Him that will be consummated in heaven. 'Prayer is true happiness in this life,' said St. Jane Frances de Chantal. And of course she meant to be taken quite literally. To find prayer tedious and distasteful is to find God tedious and distasteful.
The insufficiency of prayer points to an even deeper trouble. It shows that such workers regard God's part in their projects as of less importance than their own activity. Almighty God is considered a sort of spectator along the sidelines, whom, by our prayers, we can perhaps change into an enthusiastic rooter for our private projects.
Prayer and a fervent interior life are not just graceful ornaments for the life of the apostle -- they are the instruments necessary for making his work spiritually fruitful. Failure to recognize this explains why the most frantic activity of Catholic organizations produces no spiritual results. St. Anthony, who spent whole nights in prayer, was more effective in his work for souls than the greatest of the modern go-getters, who are equipped with all the latest methods of doing things but have "no time to pray."
The person who has no time to pray is not doing God's work. We do not stint our time with those we love. The apostle who does not have time to pray has no ardent love for God. Yet since all human activity is finally motivated by some kind of love; apostolic activity, if it does not come from love of God, can only come from love of self."
As we claim to love God above everything else, do we take time to talk to Him? Do we include Him in everything we do or do we push Him aside and only look to Him when we are really in need? Do we praise Him for being who He is? Do we thank Him for our life and all the gifts that we have received? Where is God in your life?
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