I have advocated this since my first visit to this site, almost 3 years ago. It is a vital practice for me. I often refer to a book by Fr. Slavko Barbaric, "Pray With the Heart". This wise Father does a much better job of describing this than I, so I encourage you to look for his book if you are interested. Nevertheless, I understand this may be something of a vague concept so I will describe what it means to me. I hope it is helpful to you. 1) Silence. Find a place where you will not be distracted. The longer the better but don't worry, it can be as short as a few minutes or as long as you need. In any case, if I am praying for help with a specific temptation, I try to pray for as long as it takes for the temptation to go away. Invariably, at this point the evil one tells me I don't have time for this and invariably, I do have time. This is important to remember. 2) I often use the A.C.T.S. method to compose my prayers. The sequence is important so try not to skip right to the end. A-Adoration. Spend a little time considering God's incredible works (like the universe, like nature, like the structure of matter, etc. C-Contrition Admit to God you are a sinner who is sorry for his sins and declare your determination to do God's will T- Thank God for His incredible mercy, love, justice and all the gifts He has given you personally (your talents, your family, your job, the very planet we live on, your life, etc.) S - Supplication, now ask God to hear your request and for the grace to do His will 3) Try to listen for God's reply. To me, this usually comes in the form of revelation in my mind; often something I have never thought of before and probably wouldn't have considered on my own. Sometimes it comes in the form of a recollection of the words of a pertinent prayer or a bible verse or the wise words of others now resonating in my mind. Invariably, as long as I have given my human mind enough time to hear and understand, I am also left with a new bit of happiness within me. In any case, it is common for everyone to become distracted at this point I need a strategy to stay focused. It is helpful to begin this listening stage by saying the name of Jesus reverently and quietly with the exhale of each breath. While doing this, I like to consider an image of God such as Christ and His sacred heart or Christ on the Cross. I think about a huge persona of Him hovering over a lonely highway. When a thought comes along to distract me, I consider it as a car passing on the highway. It comes by me, it passes, I let it go away and I return to the image of Christ. If need be, I tell myself I will return to that thought later but for now, I want to keep my focus on Christ. In this way, not nearly as complex as I make it out to be, I share my heart with God. I am not sharing someone else's words but my own. Certainly it is very helpful to bring ourselves closer to God by reading scripture and thoughtfully reciting prayers by rote but during this time, I just want to share what is in my heart with God and listen for His reply. Remember, God love you personally. Yes, you. So, He wants to hear what is in your heart, not someone else's. Please pray for me, I am praying for you.
