Our call to holiness is not an instant makeover but a lifelong, gradual process. With trust and confidence in God’s help, we must make steady, continual efforts to seek Christ by following him and the examples of the saints, by following the church’s teachings and by partaking of the sacraments to reach our goal.
Because spiritual growth takes time, spending time alone with God in daily prayer is necessary in order to follow God’s directions, to fulfill his purposes for us and to bear fruit for his kingdom as real examples of lives lived in his love, grace and power.
Speaking to the bishops of Italy recently, Pope Benedict XVI said, “The fundamental condition in order to be able to speak about God is to speak with God.”
Daily personal prayer is essential to our lives as Catholic Christians.
Lord Jesus, thank you for the beauty of nature and the splendor of your presence. Help us to cultivate the grace you plant in our souls.
