Jesus, teach me to pray

By Monica McConkey

Woman Kneeling at Prie-Dieu by Alexandre Bida
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Jesus, I want to know Your Truth AND live it. Jesus, I'm so easily distracted, so easily jostled, startled, untethered. Jesus, I worry about so many things.

Jesus, I want to pray. I want my words to be deliberate and heart-felt. I want to say what my heart feels and listen intently and hear Your Words to me in my heart, with no doubt, no second guessing. I want to be focused and consumed by You and undistracted.

I want to know You, bathe in Your Love, be directed by Your Priorities and I want to receive Your Love and Your intentions for me, correctly, fully, purely.

I want to brim over with the fire of your Love, uncontained, unfettered, unlimited, unconstrained so that I can only reflect Your Love, enthusiastically and untarnished by human limitations.

I want to see and think clearly, without muddying Your message to me, and to those around me.

I want to use the creative gifts You have given me to serve You and draw closer to You and to lead others to pursue You as You desire. I want to fulfil my vocation to the best of my abilities, recognizing but not giving in to my failings, offering up the little chores, the monotony and the little annoyances, frustrations and worries, surrendering my will and my lack of control, my pride for Your Greater Glory.

I want to pray. I want to express the yearning of my heart, to remain undistracted but focused on You. I want to connect with You, feeling Your unconditional Love, a love that is impossible for humans, only possible for God, loving me as if I was the only human, loving me incessantly despite my faults and failings, loving me without hesitation or requirements, expectations or conditions. Loving me because You have made me worthy through Your Suffering, for me, when no one except You could have even known I would exist.

Jesus, I don't want to get distracted by the meaningless details. I don't want to be preoccupied with menial concerns.



Continue reading at Monica's blog I blog Jesus.

The prompt-me prayer

by Monica McConkey

Morning Prayer by Ebenezer Newman Downard (photo in public domain)

I have written about Br. Lawrence's Practice of the Presence of God before. I think it's a simple yet profound way to deepen our relationship with Jesus, do small things with great love like St. Therese and to grow in virtue while we live out our Faith more consciously. I know I'd like to carry out my vocation as Mom... graciously, with more patience and love, but I inevitably become unraveled, and caught up in my often self-inflicted pressures of family life.

The tasks set out for me in my vocation as a Mom, if carried out with love, are supposed to catapult me to holiness!  This is the Mom's School of Holiness. I'm not sure where I have read this, but my friend Fr. Roger tells me this all the time.

I get flustered by the needs and demands of my family and the general chaos can be overwhelming.  I'd like to carry out all my tasks prayerfully...with grace and patience and gentleness, but I know...and I know my kids would agree.... I just can't pull that off.  Even if I could get it all done.... grace and patience and gentleness slip away pretty fast!

Cooking, cleaning, training, managing, driving, shopping and never-ending laundry can be tedious, thankless and frustrating.

I've had a problem with practicing the Presence of God, ever since I read my doggy-eared paperback discovered at a used book store...almost 20 years ago. And back then, I wasn't even a Mom yet!

I usually forget the most important part of practicing the Presence of God: prayer. I do pray...but Brother Lawrence prayed continuously while he went about his simple duties. He was in constant conversation with God! I know I need to ask for help from my husband AND my kids before I enter the realm of I'll-just-resentfully-do-it-myself...but the MOST important help I need to request...is from Jesus and His Mother Mary. Mary knows how to get it all done...connected constantly to her Son.


Finish reading at Monica's blog  I blog Jesus.