Tuesday, 1st Week: Thoughts Need Not Cut Us From God
"When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they
think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your
Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then in this way: Our Father in
heaven..." (Matthew 6:7-9)
Our minds are always active. We analyze, reflect, daydream or dream. There is not a moment
during the day or night when we are not thinking. You might say that our thinking is
"unceasing." Sometimes we wish that we could stop thinking for a while; that
would save us from many worries, guilt, feelings, and fears. Our ability to think is our
greatest gift, but it is also the source of our greatest pain. Do we have to become
victims of unceasing thought, of paralyzing thought? No, we can convert our unceasing
thinking into unceasing prayer my making our inner monologue into a continuing dialogue
with God, who is the source of all love. Perhaps posing a simple question like the
following may help this "conversion": "God, what do you think of ... how do
you see this ...?"
Let's break out of our isolation and realize that Someone who dwells in the center of our beings wants to listen with love to all that occupies and preoccupies our minds.
Henri Nouwen
"O Holy Spirit, convert my never-ending flow of thoughts into prayer."