joy of nine9

God can operate on us, purify us, heal us when we are asleep and can’t interfere or get in His way.

St. Thérèse’s thoughts on prayer help clarify the truth that it is God who saves us, not our own efforts;  intense prayer does not mean OUR efforts are intense, no it is God’s efforts in us that are intense.

Listen to this astounding quote on the definition of a saint:

“In fact, a saint is not one who carries out great feats based on the excellence of his human qualities, but one who allows Christ to penetrate their soul, to act through their person, He being the real protagonist of all their actions and desires, who inspires every initiative and sustains every silence. 

To let oneself be led by Christ in this way is possible only for one who has an intense life of prayer.“ Pope Benedict XVI

Life in Christ is all about surrender, letting go of control, giving God permission to act through us. We are simply the aqueduct or pipe which the Spirit flows through. It is child’s play.

Matthew 18:3: and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

I like to say that a child, frog, and tree are holy because they are who they called to be without a mask or false persona or large ego.

St. Thérèse understood and embraced a child-like spirituality.

St. Thérèse said,  “Holiness consists simply in doing God’s will, and being just what God wants us to be.”

I pray now by simply resting in Him, looking into the light and His eyes and He looks at me. l simply bask in the light and heat of His presence.

St. Thérèse said,“I say nothing to him; I love him”

He looks at me. I smile. He smiles and immediately fills me with a surge of joy.

Simply be still and know that He is God; He will do the rest of the work in you