The human heart desires God. As human beings, we were made by God and for God. We can attempt to fill our lives with many things, some of them even good things, but nothing can fill the “God hole” within our souls. We need God and our souls yearn for him.
The desire of our heart for God can be clouded, misdirected, and wayward. Our hearts are fallen and so they need to be guided and directed. Our hearts need to be formed by spiritual wisdom.
The gaining of spiritual wisdom is best achieved by prayer.
It’s better to be formed in prayer when we’re young and still open to transcendental things and easily taught spiritual truths. Some of us received such formation in our youth, others of us did not. Either way, whether we benefited from a spiritual formation early in our lives or not, the instruction of our hearts is an on-going process throughout our entire lives.
In prayer, we meet God, encounter him, talk and listen to him, and receive his wisdom. With his wisdom, we then willingly accept the call to conversion and let him transform us and change our hearts.
Christian formation is not indoctrination, or sacramentalization, or mere memorization, but rather a simple and approachable instruction on how to pray and be with God.
As we learn to pray, we bring our lessons to the Bible and to the sacred liturgy. We unite our prayers to those of the entire People of God as we seek God together and look for his face.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us: “The catechesis of children, young people, and adults aims at teaching them to meditate on the Word of God in personal prayer, practicing it in liturgical prayer, and internalizing it at all times in order to bear fruit in a new life.”
In addition to the Bible and sacred liturgy, we learn the principles of discernment. These are the various points of wisdom that help us to know God’s will for us. We are also introduced to the popular piety of God’s people, such as the rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet.
Each of these various parts of the Church’s spiritual treasury play their part in teaching us, molding us, and guiding us in the way of prayer. It is prayer that shapes our hearts. It is prayer that helps us to find our way to God.
The Catechism observes: “Catechesis is also a time for the discernment and education of popular piety.”
While our prayer is not mere memorization, we do use our intellect and our ability to memorize things in our life of prayer. There are certain prayers that are worthy of memorization, such as the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostle’s Creed, the Hail Mary, the Act of Contrition, and others.
While we memorize certain prayers, it is essential that we also know and savor their meaning. God does not need parrots. He wants children who trust him and are willing to talk and listen to him.
The Catechism exhorts us: “The memorization of basic prayers offers an essential support to the life of prayer, but it is important to help learners savor their meaning.”
As we learn to pray, we are not called to be alone. As we pray mystically with others, so it is a venerable custom to pray in the presence of others. For example, the life of prayer can be greatly helped by prayer groups.
The Catechism tells us: “Prayer groups, indeed ‘schools of prayer,’ are today one of the signs and one of the driving forces of renewal of prayer in the Church, provided they drink from authentic wellsprings of Christian prayer. Concern for ecclesial communion is a sign of true prayer in the Church.”
The increase of prayer groups is a sign of spiritual renewal in the Church. A healthy Church is a praying Church. Prayer groups are one of many ways in which believers can pray together.
It is important that prayer groups are always conscious of “authentic wellsprings of Christian prayer” and of “ecclesial communion.” Prayer groups should not deviate from the tradition of prayer or separate themselves from the leadership and body of the Church.
In our personal prayer, our prayer with the Bible, in the sacred liturgy, and by our participation in prayer groups, we are encouraged and helped in the on-going formation of our hearts through the gift and power of prayer.
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