Our Prayer Life

Lord, teach us how to pray!
Luke 11:1

44. Like Fr. d'Alzon, a man of faith, we recognize the need for prayer. Prayer opens us to God's action. It is the ever refreshing fountain of our apostolic action.

45. By being faithful to the Gospel in the choices we make, in our daily work, in our openness to others and our availability in times of need, our whole life, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, becomes an encounter with God.

46. Our prayer expresses praise to the Father for having revealed his love, and thanksgiving for all He accom­plishes in us and in others. It prompts us also to beg forgiveness for the world and for ourselves and to ask for the strength we need to do his will.
In turn, prayer provides filial intimacy with God, constancy in faith and generosity in action!

47. Our prayer life is nourished by the Word of God, particularly through the meditation of Holy Scripture, the celebration of the Divine Office and the Liturgy.
Its center is the Eucharist. Communion in the body of Christ spurs us on to live in brotherly love and to be the servants of unity among men.
Through the frequent reception of the sacra­ment of penance, we open ourselves to God's forgiveness and thereby share more fully in the Paschal Mystery.

48. After Christ, our sole Mediator, the Virgin Mary holds a privileged place in our prayer as Mother of the Lord and humble servant in his redemptive plan. Together with her we contemplate the myster­ies of the Word Incarnate, especially in the prayer of the Rosary.

49. The principal intentions of our prayer are those of the Church. We pray also for our brothers, those who are living, because the bond of community unites us more closely to them, and those who are deceased for whom we faithfully offer the prayers that are prescribed.

50. Our prayer challenges our life with the light of the Gospel. We must ask ourselves to what extent our life enters into our prayer and to what extent our prayer affects our life and that of the community.

51. Prayer is difficult for everyone. It engages us in a struggle in order that our experience of God per­manently cast its light on our vision of the world. It requires of each one and of the community a discipline of life which keeps us attentive to the promptings of the Spirit.

52. Each religious should be able to count on his broth­ers to find with them conditions which facilitate prayer: recollection, mutual support, a suitable place for prayer, a spirit of freedom and creativity.

53. In local Chapter, the religious shall determine the frequency and forms of community prayer, partic­ularly with regard to: the daily liturgy of the Hours (preferably Lauds and Vespers), the community Eucharist, the times of retreat and silence which are most convenient.
Those are the responsibility of everyone.

54. It is incumbent upon each religious to organize, according to his own spiritual inclinations, a pro­gram of personal prayer.
He shall set aside times for spiritual renewal, and especially for the annual retreat.
He shall foresee on a daily basis:
• participation in the Eucharist,
• celebration of the Divine Office,
• at least thirty minutes of meditation,
• and a period of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
He should remind himself that contemplation and action are united for us in one and the same goal: to serve the extension of the Reign of Jesus Christ. (Directory, E.S. p. 79).