Day 52 of Basic Training in Holiness – Power of Prayer
DAY 52 – OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE, PRAY FOR US
POWER OF PRAYER
The heroes of our faith are the warrior saints who have gone before us. God worked mightily and miraculously through them. Therefore, we must study their ways. In humility, obedience, and trust (H.O.T.), we ask: How did they remain so well connected, in such strong friendship with God, so that his river of supernatural grace could flow so freely through them? What do these “SEALS for Christ” teach us about the ideal spiritual disciplines, the ultimate daily regimen of prayer?
Prayer is our outstanding supernatural resource for fighting the wiles of the enemy. St. Alphonsus said, “Prayer is, beyond doubt, the most powerful weapon the Lord gives us to conquer evil … but we must really put ourselves into the prayer, it is not enough just to say the words, it must come from the heart. And also prayer needs to be continuous, we must pray no matter what kind of situation we find ourselves in: the warfare we are engaged in is ongoing, so our prayer must be on-going also.”
We are being asked to allow God’s grace to surge through us to a waiting world, but nemo dat quod non habet (no one gives what he does not have). Fr. John McCloskey in his Seven Daily Habits of Holy Apostolic People correctly points out that the following seven exceptional habits of prayer are the way of storing up spiritual energy to be used to bring Christ to others. St. Bernadette said: “Do not just be a channel for grace, but a reservoir, an overflowing reservoir. No sooner has a channel received grace than it pours it out. A reservoir waits to be filled up and then offers grace to those who come to draw from its superabundance.”
Fr. John McCloskey’s Seven Daily Habits of Holy Apostolic People include:
- The Morning Offering
- Mental Prayer (at least 15 minutes)
- Spiritual Reading (at least 15 minutes)
- Holy Mass and Communion
- The Angelus (at noon)
- The Holy Rosary
- Brief Examination of Conscience (at night)
MENTAL PRAYER (15+ Minutes)
PRAY A ROSARY
Miraculous 54 Day Rosary Novena