the battle of praying more, part 3
The Battle of Praying More PART 3
Continuing on with the BATTLE OF PRAYER, the last sentence in paragraph 2728 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, To overcome these obstacles [to pray], we must battle to gain humility, trust, and perseverance.
This week we're talking about the second part of section II - HUMBLE VIGILANCE OF HEART.
Last week, we looked at difficulties we might face in prayer, this week the Catechism is teaching us about temptations we might struggle with.
Some excerpts from paragraph numbers 2732-2733 - bold/underline added by me:
The most common yet most hidden temptation is our lack of faith…When we begin to pray, a thousand labors or cares thought to be urgent vie for priority; once again, it is the moment of truth for the heart: what is its real love?
Now your first reaction might be, “lack of faith? not me!”
But true humility of heart recognizes our own weaknesses. Humility is the opposite of pride. Our pride leads us to have too much self reliance, too much control, too much I-can-do-it-all.
What is our heart's real love???
What is really our priority…?
…our lack of faith reveals that we do not yet share in the disposition of a humble heart: “Apart from me, you can do nothing.”
Paul tells us: work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12).
This is the opposite of pride. This is approaching God with a humble heart and relying on Him. Giving Him glory and honor that He is due.
Our "thought to be urgent" worldly cares are nothing compared to our real priority….to be happy with Him in Heaven!
Another temptation, to which presumption opens the gate, is acedia. The spiritual writers understand by this a form of depression due to lax ascetical practice, decreasing vigilance, carelessness of heart. “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
PRESUMPTION: jumping to conclusions
For Catholics, presumption is assuming that whatever we do (or don't do), God will forgive us when we ask. Or worse - we presume that we don't need His help at all.
This (probably unconscious) conclusion “opens the gate” to acedia, which the Catechism describes:
a form of depression due to lax ascetical practice, decreasing vigilance, carelessness of heart
This may look like:
🫤 It's ok if I hardly pray, God understands I'm too busy.
🫤 I'm a good person (or I'm not as bad as …), I'm sure I'll go to Heaven.
🫤 I deserve …, and everyone else does it anyway.
🫤 God doesn't really care if I …
🫤 I'm holy enough, so I can ... - God knows what's in my heart.
Lazyness in prayer or spiritual practices, indifference, lukewarmness, going along with the crowd - these are the signs of acedia.
DISCLAIMER - we have to be careful not to go too far and fall into scrupulosity (extreme anxiety over one's sinfulness and excessive fear of displeasing God).
It's a fine line between humility of heart and being spiritually lazy.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help!
The greater the height, the harder the fall. Painful as discouragement is, it is the reverse of presumption. The humble are not surprised by their distress; it leads them to trust more, to hold fast in constancy.
I love this last line!
constancy - the quality of being faithful and dependable
Humility leads us to…
1️⃣ trust more
2️⃣ be faithful to growing in holiness
3️⃣ leads us to spiritual perseverance
So our next step to winning the battle of praying more is to be vigilant against spiritual laziness. Persevere in your battle!
My encouragement for you (and me!) to seek the sacred this week:
Spend some time thinking about ways you may be falling into spiritual laziness.
Do you have “thought to be urgent” cares that are distracting you from your number 1 priority (getting to Heaven)?
What other obstacles might be in your way from praying more?
“Lord, I know that in my weakness, I can do nothing without Your help.”
- prayer by Pope Francis
Litany of Humility
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart,
Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected,
Deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
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