Book: Our Spiritual Lifeline - The oxygen of Christian Prayer

Our Spiritual Lifeline - The oxygen of Christian Prayer - by Fr Jim McManus CSsR, Redemptorist Publications

"As you are sons, God has sent into our hearts the Spirit of His Son, crying ' Abba, Father." Gal.4.6.

The above is one of the most accurate descriptions of what happens in prayer and Paul is inspired. Fr MacManus has given us a work that is both timely and crucial because in has to do with the vital matter of Prayer. Nothing could be more urgent to our spiritual life -in the Church- than lifting our prayer life out of the anaemic state that it is in.

One of the major causes of the massive lapse rate, especially among the youth, is the demise of prayer. They point out that it was not a formal decision to stop but that it just happened gradually over time. As a result a type of spiritual sclerosis sets in and the practise of ' faith ' wanes. That is what results when there is disconnect between living and praying. ' Compartmentalisation ' is another name for it. We put our prayer life, so to speak, in our pocket or in our glove compartment, and take it out if and when needed - Fatal. What happens? Prayer becomes a chore or a bore or a rote and dull - no joy in it- so why carry on

St Augustine, that great spiritual doctor and superb psychoanalyst saw and experienced the problem way back. Which is why he urged his beloved faithful in one of his sermons on prayer and love-" Do you want to speak the praise of God ? Be yourselves what you speak. If you live good lives you are His praise." In short, it is the unique and total self that encounters the Father in prayer. No compartmentalisation for Augustine.

So when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Luke 11. I Lord teach us to pray. ) He gave them the advice -(Luke 11. 2. " When you pray, say 'Abba' 'Father.') They had observed Jesus at prayer and wanted to be like Him. His answer to them if the foundation rock of all Christian prayer. But we know from what followed that Jesus had still to achieve with them one more essential aspect of their formation and that would take Him more time and effort. It was the question of ' Doing.' They saw in Christ a person who had merged prayer and action. ( Acts 10. 38. " how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power; and how He went about doing good." ) His final act on the cross is one of praying to ' Abba' and doing. (Luke records in in 23.46. "Father into your hands I commit my spirit." )

Like Fr McManus I also grew up with our family Rosary. We had the pictures of Jesus and Mary in our home. But that is a distant country in today's world. The Church promulgated the Most Holy Rosary with two aims in mind. One was to focus the faithful on the Mystery of the Incarnation of which there was great ignorance at the time. Also there was a fierce attack on the Mystery of the Incarnation itself and heresy had to be combated in every way possible. There is much ignorance of the Incarnation to-day and much attack on Christ.

The Rosary died because for many it became a babble and we know how Christ warned His disciples against such a type of prayer. Mary is the perfect disciple and the perfect model of prayer because of her role in the Incarnation. Luke gets it right again (Ch. 1 .35. " The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God." In Mary is perfect action and perfect prayer. Mary our mother will bring joy back to our prayer and to our world if we get our prayer right. All this and more in this excellent effort by Fr McManus. Highly recommended .