Monday, August 23, 2010

Pray for Vocations!

Spirit of Eternal Love, it is you who open the heart and mind to the divine call. Inspire those you are calling to the religious life and the priesthood to respond with open and generous hearts. May those you are calling to married life respond enthusiastically to the call to holiness and bear witness to the sacredness of family life. Renew the face of the earth, that a new abundance of holy vocations may show forth the fidelity of your love. Amen.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Adoration

More wisdom from our retreat with Br. Joel Giallanza, CSC:
 Closely related to the verb "adore" is the verb "revere."  The root of the verb revere, as a type of adoration, means "to perceive" and "to watch out for."

1. Adoration does have a dimension of awareness, of perceiving. For this type of prayer, we must be conscious of what we are doing, who God is, and who we are. Without that level of awareness, of perception, adoration becomes an empty exercise focused on something other than God.

2. Adoration also has a dimension of vigilance, of watching out for. This is a particularly rich meaning because it communicated a sense of anticipation and expectation. We adore God with a hope, trust, and confidence in God's word and promises to us. There is a limitlessness about this dimension of adoration. We anticipate and expect that God hears our prayer and will respond, but we do not know the precise timing of that response. So we watch with patience.