Prayer is the Light of the Spirit

The Office of Readings is a wonderful vehicle for prayer and reflection. It is the first prayer ‘hour’ of the Liturgy of the Hours, sometimes referred to as The Divine Office, a beautiful cycle of prayer with Scripture.* A distinctive part of this first hour is the final reading, a passage usually taken from an early Church Father or a Doctor of the Church. One such reading, entitled Prayer is the Light of the Spirit, came at the beginning of Lent. It was taken from a homily by Saint John Chrysostom, a bishop of the 4th and early 5th century, from Antioch, Türkiye. As I read it, I thought of the line in Psalm 119 which connects God’s word with light: “Your word is a lamp unto my feet, a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105) In truth, as we pray with Scripture, our prayer brings us light because it opens us to God. Therefore, during Lent it is good to enter into prayer as a response to His call and as an immersion into the light of God in a deeper way; we must desire to recognize His presence and hear His voice, and therefore to receive the graces He offers through the Holy Spirit. Remember, we do not pray to enlighten God, (He already knows everything), but to become enlightened by Him, and so to grow closer. Prayer teaches listening, and in turn, listening teaches us to love.

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In his homily St. John Chrysostom said: “Practice prayer from the beginning. Paint your house with the colors of modesty and humility. Make it radiant with the light of justice. Decorate it with the finest gold leaf of good deeds. Adorn it with the walls and stones of faith and generosity. Crown it with the pinnacle of prayer. In this way you will make it a perfect dwelling place for the Lord. You will be able to receive him as in a splendid palace, and through his grace you will already possess him, his image enthroned in the temple of your spirit.” The imagery that he uses is in itself, radiant; it is no wonder St. John was given the nickname, Chrysostom, which in Greek means “golden mouthed.”** Thus, he is teaching that the process and the effects of prayer will bring many virtues, most specifically that it will fill our hearts with beauty which will move us outward in love to others as our response of love. 

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Through prayer the graces of modesty and humility can increase within us. These are characteristics of holiness, and they are the posture with which we should come before the Lord. As we “paint our house” it becomes “radiant with justice, decorated by the gold leaf of good deeds.” This is indeed what we are called to do with greater depth during the season of Lent: prayer brings healing, wholeness, and freedom which in turn gives birth to kindness, works of mercy, compassion, faith, and generosity, (ways of making a self-offering in love). These please the Lord as our gift to Him because in so doing, that is, by growing in holiness, we open ourselves to His Heart with greater intimacy. What is especially beautiful in what St. John Chrysostom said is that through the practice of prayer and our response to grace, we receive God as in a splendid palace: through prayer our heart becomes a dwelling fitting for the King of our Heart.

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​To recognize our own heart as a splendid palace is no small thing. However, we probably need to clean house in order to bring our heart back to the kind of palace it is meant to be, a large part of what Lent is meant to do. During our prayer and reflection, we can recognize where we need to sweep out all that impedes our relationship and turn away from it, making a ‘return’ to the Lord. The Sacrament of Reconciliation, the gift of God’s mercy which cleanses and heals, is the most effective way to receive the needed graces. Thus, our prayer brings light to the dark places within, enabling the freedom to respond through humble acts of generosity, mercy, and kindness; we become as a lamp for others. Jesus said that we are to be light to the world, a light which should not be kept under a bushel basket, but should shine to guide others to Him. (Matt. 5: 14-16) The fruit of our prayer will be in the brighter light within our hearts which we bring out into the darkness of the world where God’s light is so greatly needed. 

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Prayer is the key to our relationship with God since we cannot really know someone with whom we never spend time; and subsequently, if we do not know Him as He wishes to be known, it is most difficult to fall in love (or more deeply in love) with Him. Falling in love with God will not only bring greater light to our soul, but it will inspire us to make a response of love to Him. That is, prayer is the leaven for our response; the more we know the Lord and love Him, the greater our offering of generosity and love to others. During this season of Lent, it is important to be consistent with our efforts at abstinence, the purpose of which is to open us to deeper prayer and to foster generosity and almsgiving, (no matter the size of the gesture). It is prayer that will move us more deeply into the beautiful palace that our love builds for God. Prayer is the Light of the Spirit!

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May we reflect upon the image of God enthroned within our hearts that we might enter into prayer more deeply! May our hearts become as a splendid palace for Him! And may the Light of God within our hearts enable us to become light to others! Let us meet in the palace of our heart with the Lord! Peace!

                                   ©Michele L. Catanese

* The Liturgy of the Hours (The Divine Office) is a cycle of prayer that encompasses the entire Book of Psalms in a four-week period, repeated throughout the year and includes readings and reflections specific to the liturgical seasons. Included in each Hour are petitions, reflections, and readings from the Old and New Testament, along with the Lord’s Prayer, and in some of the Hours, a canticle such as the Magnificat. In this order the Hours are: the Office of Readings (Matins), Morning Prayer (Lauds), Midmorning Prayer (Terce), Midday Prayer (Sext), Midafternoon Prayer (None), Evening Prayer (Vespers), and Night Prayer (Compline). Many cloistered or monastic communities pray all the Hours every day and of these, some congregations add early Morning prayer at sunrise (Prime). Every day all priests, deacons, and many religious Sisters and Brothers pray the two most important hours, Morning and Evening Prayer, which are often called the ‘hinges’ of the Liturgy of the Hours. I must also add that many of the laity also pray these two Hours.
** For some information about St. John Chrysostom go to https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-john-chrysostom/

Images:
1. Photo; the four volumes of The Liturgy of the Hours.
2. Icon; St. John Chrysostom, unknown iconographer.
3. Painting; Bedroom in Arles (La Chambre à Arles), by Vincent van Gogh (1889), Public Domain.
4. My photo; sun immerging from storm clouds, off Grand Cayman.
5. Painting; Works of Mercy, Give Drink to the Thirsty, Olivuccio di Ciccarello.
6. Icon; Mother of God of Kosovo, by Fr. William Hart McNichols. You can find this icon and many others at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/mother-of-god-of-kosovo-087-william-hart-mcnichols.html
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Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time.

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