After forming man from the clay of the earth God breathed into man a life giving soul. This breath promotes the life of the body and the life of the spirit. We know how essential breathing is and we know that one day we will take our final breath and then the door to eternity opens up our eyes to a new reality. In this eternal reality we begin to evaluate all that we said and did while struggling in this finite world. We will all admit to the importance of the breathing but what about the breathing that promotes the everlasting life.
In the eternal life the physical act of breathing is replaced by the eternal breath of the Spirit which is our prayer life. “Ask whatever you desire in my Name and it shall be granted unto thee.” Prayer is the act of breathing in the presence of God. Prayer can take place in three ways which ultimately prepares us for the divine life in the Holy Trinity. We need to consider
the three acts of prayer and how they prepare us for our death and resurrection.
In the first act of prayer the soul is initiated through the vocal prayers that are common for the family. We learn from our Lord to pray the Our Father and we learn from scripture the Hail Mary. Our Parents and teachers seek to develop within us a love for prayer so that it becomes as important to us as our breathing. It is the development of the union with our Creator. We learn through vocal prayer how to relate to the Lord Who ransomed us. This oral prayer is only the beginning of the relationship that our Lord wishes to have with us. Oral prayer is useful when praying with others in a social gathering such as holy mass.
Oral prayer possesses importance and will lead us to the act of meditation. In our oral prayer we may come to the word “full of grace” and we stop and we chew on this reality of our Blessed Mother. We seek to delve into the depths of the mystery of grace itself, of friendship with God. Meditation guides us in a systematic way to know our faith and the doctrines which touch our lives. Through this prayer we develop a deeper communion with the Lord. All people, places and events can lead us to meditate upon the mystery of God’s fertile imagination.
This act of meditation will urge us on to the great and most beautiful prayer of contemplation. Like the Rosary game where the kids chant “Ring around the Rosie pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes all fall down.” In praying the rosary we repeat the words in loving contemplation of the divine mysteries and we “fall down” in reverence for the love of God. Contemplation tends to take the soul into a peaceful sleep which focuses one word or one act of Jesus. Our entire being is immersed in this mystery which seems to bring our faith and the doctrines into a unity.
We breath in the presence of God and whether we are in desolation or consolation we know that all is meant for the good of our souls. Pray always just as you breath always. Our contemplation of the act of breathing can open the door to the untold mystery of God. It is recorded in the Paradiso of Dante that when the soul comes into the light of the Beatific Vision the poet loses all ability to communicate that which is infinite and so far beyond us. We can only stand in awe of this Breath supporting all breaths.
Prayer then is to be treasured and practiced by seeking the will of God in all that occurs in our daily lives. This breath of eternal life develops within the soul a “taste for God”. Never give up on prayer but continue to press on and the reward will come without force. In His peace do our souls find the rest they desire. Let us reflect upon the prayer life that opens the soul to the Love of God and begets in the soul the very breath of our Savior. Mary is our greatest model for her life was spent in contemplating her Son Who remains her Creator. Turn to our Lady’s holy rosary and all prayer becomes a delight and a power.
Let us storm heaven with many holy rosaries then we can take the world by storm. Heaven knows this is the only way we can achieve a peace that is beyond vaccines and beyond politics. May our Lady guide us into the deepest union of love with her Son Jesus.
In the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Fr. Voigt
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