Mental Prayer for October 5-Steppingstones to God

Mental Prayer Meditation Helps

Presence of God

Grace I Ask: My God, teach me this golden rule which tells me how to use creatures to get to you.

The Idea: Jim wants to be a first-string quarter­back. That is his goal. To get it, he knows he'll have to work hard. So he sweats through calisthenics and spends hours on the blocking dummies. Practice drills and pinpoint passing take up Jim's free time. He knows too that he'll have to give up many things. And so he passes by beer, smokes, and late night hours. Is it worth all this? Sure, says Jim. That first-­string spot is worth all the work and all the sacrifice.

Now our goal in life is God. To serve Him we must use a world of creatures, some pleasant, some difficult. How do we use them? Jim here shows us how to put into practice the golden rule: use creatures insofar as they help you to the goal: rid your of thems insofar as they hinder you from the goal. The goal is God.

My Personal Application: Do I have a solid grasp of the deep common sense of this rule? What creatures should I use to get to God? How about my personal training schedule of prayer and growth in faith and love of God?... frequent Mass and Communion?... examination of con­science and confession?... daily mental prayer?

Do I rid myself of the things that hinder me from God?... sin and all that leads to sin?... bad companions?... questionable literature? Isn't my goal - God - worth all the hard work and sacrifice?

I Speak to God: Lord, I want you more than any­thing else in the world. Help me to use the best means to get to you, no matter how hard or diffi­cult. With your help it will be easy. Show me what creatures I must avoid to reach you and then give me the grace to drop them from my life for good. Lord, I want to do your will.

Thought for Today: Lord, teach me to use all things - to get to you.
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Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)