Exploring the depth of our prayers
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” — Luke 3:16
We have a colloquial phrase in American English: “baptism by fire.” I have no doubt that it’s based on exactly this biblical passage, although with a slightly different meaning.
Do I actually want to be baptized by fire?
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.” — Luke 3:4
On this Second Sunday of Advent, we anticipate the birth of God’s only Son to become part of humanity.
It’s an amazing and unique event in the entire history of the world.
Our mother Mary was, herself, born without sin. That’s why this feast day is about Mary’s conception, not that of Jesus.
One explanation that I’ve heard of this is that the Ark of the Covenant must be unblemished. And since Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant, Jesus, it is appropriate that she also be unblemished.
So it’s about faith, not scientific proof. And I’m quite fine with that.
For a while now, I’ve been praying my Rosary totally inside my head. Of course there’s the guilt … maybe I’m doing it wrong!
But I also know that God is in everything, and silent prayer is a powerful part of our tradition. So I figure that God, Mary, Jesus and the saints can hear me even when it’s just in my head.
What’s interesting is that I find it MUCH harder to stay on track when it’s just in my head. I lose the thread quite easily, and even switch from one prayer to another right in the middle.
So it’s good mental discipline for me to try to stay focused as much as I would if I were speaking out loud.
And I do need discipline and focus in my prayer life.