I've noticed as my prayer life evolves, I don't clutter prayer moments with as many words as I used to.
This seems strange, since words are what I do — you might even say to a certain extent, who I am — but I find when it comes to prayer, often less is more.
I wrote a talk on The Trinity not long ago and presented it to the We Are the Church gathering in Streator in April.
Even as I wrote, my ever-changing personal understanding of The Trinity in my life became clearer to me.
Even more, just like human relationships are different with each individual, the way I relate to each member of The Trinity is unique.
In short, this is how I find myself addressing each member of The Trinity these days, and the basic way I pray to each of them:
When I sit with Abba in centering prayer (with a goal of twice a day for 20 minutes at a time), I am learning to let go of the chatter in my head. Each time a thought or sensation comes to mind, I gently return to my key word "Abba." I am giving Abba the chance to silently work inside my heart, digging and scraping — in an ever so gentle way — all the old trauma that's buried there, and through that work creating a new heart within me, as he promises to do for each one of us in Scripture.
The transformation from this kind of prayer is ongoing. But in the time I've been doing it, I notice an overall calmer interior, a more joyful interior and exterior and feeling less of a need to speak my opinion when there is no reason to do so. In other words, Abba is teaching me humility. And I have a long way to go.
In short, centering prayer — and Abba's work through it — brings me an inner peace that grows ever deeper the more I engage in it.
There are as many ways to pray to Jesus as there are people. One of the best ways, of course, is to enter into the Gospel narratives and imagine you are there, part of the scene. Each time you do this, you might notice something different happening.
As perfect as a way of praying this is, I must admit I rarely do it.
Instead, as my relationship with Christ has developed over time, and I've heard the Gospel proclaimed at Mass every week, and I've read from it myself, I have come to know (at least in my mind, to the extent it is possible) who Jesus is, why he came and what he wants to do for each of us.
All of this boils down to the four words that boil up in my heart when I find myself most in need:
By cutting out all the noise, I affirm my belief in who Jesus is, and I assent to his healing work inside of me.
And over time, sometimes little by little, and sometimes in a big spectacular way, he does it.
In a similar way, my prayer to the Holy Spirit has simplified a great deal as I've experienced the extraordinary ways he has worked in my life, and therefore know there is no need for wordiness.
Once you open the door to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life, you can't help but be blown away by the power and love of this member of The Trinity, and how it drives you out into the world to share that Spirit with others.
