Prayer: The Means of Union with God
The life of our Lord Jesus Christ was a life of prayer. He gave us the precept of vigilant prayer as the means of reaching intimate union with God. (OOCC, VIII, pp. 295 - 296)
Besides opening a person’s life to the grace of God, prayer also brings about intimate union with God. Union with God is brought about by our imitation of the life of Jesus. It is in prayer that we learn the ways and means of imitating Jesus. Hence, prayer is essential for achieving union with God. Jesus achieved his union with his Father by his fervent prayers. Similarly, vigilant prayer, like that of Jesus, is vital for a person moving towards union with God. Prayer is not an occasional act. It is not enough to direct our minds and hearts to God periodically. Such periodic attempts at prayer may not help a person to build up an intimate relationship with God. Prayer must be habitual. It is a continuous orientation towards God. St. Vincent, therefore, spoke of “a life of prayer” rather than “periods of prayer.” Prayer is a continuous and ongoing relationship with God, which, in turn, brings about a person’s union with God. Hence, a person who is interested in establishing a lasting relationship of union with God must never cease to pray. Thus, the cultivation of a genuine life of prayer on a continuous basis enables us to imitate the life of Jesus in its fullness, and thereby leads a person to an intimate union with God.
Do I consider prayer as a means of establishing union with God? Does my prayer help me to learn ways and means to imitate Jesus in my life? Do I live a “life of prayer” or spend time in “periods of prayer”? Is my prayer continuous and ongoing?
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds. (Jas. 4: 8)