"Real Prayer Is Falling in Love"

Hello there, my friends.

It's been absolutely eons since I last posted here, and so much has happened in the world.

Much of it, to do with Religion, and the insidious ways that these man-made systems convince some of us to look down upon and hate the rest of us.

ISIS, Charlie Hebdo, the Copenhagen shootings, the Coptic Christian martyrs in Libya... the list goes on and on.

All of this to promote a certain group's "Checklist" of prohibitions and rules, devised to clearly separate the righteous from the apostate. And always, always focused on outward shows of piety that many are now adopting in the world, not out of devotion to God, but sheer terror.

How much we need peace in these days.

And there is one, simple act that gives birth to peace: prayer.

Based on an intimate Relationship with the Creator, not out of fear, obligation or tired tradition, but out of deep, personal love.

The heart of the Father is open.
Jesus is the Door and prayer is the Key.

Prayer with such an Intimate God (Who calls Himself "Immanuel, God with us") ceases to be a burden and becomes instead a Living Conversation. One that is so intimate that Jesus told us to always commune with His Father with the door shut, just the two of you in secret, together.

As we prepare for the coming Easter celebration, moving up through forty days to Palm Sunday, I have felt myself attracted to a practice of prayer called "Examen".

Originally a spiritual discipline created by Ignatius of Loyola, a series of new videos created by the movement 24-7 Prayer brings this Relationship-based praying to life.

As Alain Emerson so touchingly observes in the short video segment below, "real prayer is falling in love" with the One Who made the stars, knows your every need and longs desperately for an intimate relationship with you, His Son or Daughter.

I hope you enjoy these reflections and that they bring you Peace in this troubled World.