THE GIVER OF LIFE

In his first letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul urges his Christian brothers to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thes 5). And if you're like me, you've wondered a thousands times, How could I possibly pray all the time in my everyday life? Maybe he just means "pray as often as you can."

But he means something else.

Paul isn't telling us that we must constantly recite fixed prayers 24/7. Prayer is an interaction with God, an encounter with the Divine. Just think of Christ's Presence in the Eucharist during the Mass, the greatest of all prayers.

Constant prayer is an endless encounter with God; in other words, God is continuously with you. To pray without ceasing is to be in union with God, so that every one of your actions is an interaction with Him.

Great! But how do we become united with God?

The key is the Holy Spirit, through Whom "the love of God has been poured out in our hearts" (Rom 5:5). He is the Messenger of God's grace, the "Giver of Life," as we profess in the Creed. He works in many ways – through the Magisterium, through the Sacraments, through Sacred Scripture, and even through us laypeople!

The Holy Spirit is a great gathering force. Not only does His work unite us to God, but it also unites the people of the Church to each other.

Like every human body has a soul, the Body of Christ (a.k.a. the Church) has the Holy Spirit. When all the different members of the Body live by the same Spirit, the Body is coordinated and functions well as a whole. In the early Church years, the apostles were so effective at drawing men to God because they were "of one heart and mind" (Acts 5:32). They allowed themselves to be led by the Spirit – God Himself – in pursuit of the one mission Jesus gave to the Church:

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." (Matt 28:19-20).

In order to find unity with God and in the Church, we must participate in the life of the Spirit. We must allow Him to lead our every action so to draw closer to God and to bring others closer to Him as well.

To the degree that we give up our selfish ways and choose the way of Charity, we will build the Kingdom of God on earth and may know it simply as a communion of people, tightly woven together by the love of God alive in their hearts.

Follow the Spirit confidently. Glorify God in all things. Pray without ceasing.

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Prayer for Conformity to Christ

Lord Jesus,

Let Your Eyes be my eyes,

that I may see as You see.

Let Your Ears be my ears

that I may listen as You listen.

Let Your Hands be my hands,

that I may serve as You serve.

Let Your Feet be my feet,

that I may walk in Your ways.

Let Your Voice be my voice,

that I may speak how You speak.

Let Your Thoughts be my thoughts,

that I may ponder what You ponder.

Let Your Words be my words,

that I may echo Your truth.

Let Your Feelings be my feelings,

that I may enjoy what You enjoy,

and grieve what You grieve.

Let Your Heart be my heart,

that I may love as You love.

Let Your Body be my body,

that I may go where You go.

Let Your Will be my will,

that I may desire what You desire.

Jesus, let Your Life be my life,

that I may live in You,

drawing my every breath from You.

Unite Yourself to me in every way,

in every moment of my life,

and when my last hour expires,

carry my soul to eternity,

that we may be together forever.

I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ,

Who reigns in everlasting unity

with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C.