“The Living God and Prayer”
Fr. Ignatius John Schweitzer, OP
God is the living God and He still acts today. God dwells in our souls by grace as in a temple, and He acts in the hidden depths of our souls. God’s touch is subtle, perhaps barely perceptible. God acts today but usually veiled in hiddenness.
It’s a personal relationship with God. We give and we receive. We speak and we listen. It’s a two-way street. There’s real communication back and forth. We act but we are also acted upon by Him.
God can act upon us through daily events of life or more directly. Whatever the case, we act and we also receive. For God acts. God speaks to us through his Word, the Scriptures. He comes to us in the Sacraments. He touches our souls in prayer.
Prayer is about faith. We reach out into the darkness. Prayer is about hope. We reach out with empty hands. Prayer is about love. We reach out and embrace God, who has already embraced us.
Prayer can surpass our ordinary experience. It’s a mystery beyond our grasp. It’s an encounter always pointing to something more. It’s a mystery but let us not doubt it. There’s more than meets the eye happening in prayer. There’s more than meets the eye even in simple prayer.
God dwells in our souls and He acts in our hidden depths. God is the living God and the loving God. And He still acts today. Be still and know that He is God.