“When the afflicted man called out, the Lord heard, And from all his distress he saved him.” Psalm 34:4
Have you ever cried out to God in the midst of suffering? I certainly have, and it can feel so difficult, because even though God is always with us (Matthew 28:20), our human senses fail us. We cannot see Him, touch Him, or hear Him reply to our cries. We can sometimes feel like Job, who cried out to God in his despair: “I cry to you, and you do not answer me; I stand, and you merely look at me” (Job 30:20). Isn’t this often our experience of the mystery of prayer? We come to God on our knees with tears in our eyes and we wonder, “Does God hear me? Is prayer real? Can I truly speak to the all powerful and eternal God? Or is my pleading futile? Should I just try to take care of my needs myself?”
It is true that we cannot see or hear God with our mortal eyes and ears, but we can “see” and “hear” Him with eyes and ears of faith. We can use our “Gospel imagination” to hear His voice deep within our hearts in prayer. When I pray in this way, I like to be in front of Jesus in the Eucharist in the adoration chapel. I close my eyes, remain silent, and try to tune out the outside sounds around me. Then I imagine myself in the same place but while keeping my mortal eyes, mouth, and ears closed, I see myself open the eyes, mouth, and ears of my soul. I try to see the Eucharist as Jesus sitting in front of me with His Sacred Heart burning bright. I imagine my mouth opening to cry out to Him with my needs. I often cry. Then I try to hear His words and listen to His voice. In this way, the deepest part of my soul–my heart–prays to Him.
I try to stay this way for as long as I can, speaking and listening to Jesus. Sometimes He simply comforts me. Sometimes He compels me to do something for Him or someone else. Sometimes He asks me to do something I really don’t feel like doing–that’s one way I really know it’s God and not just me talking to myself! Sometimes He just sits with me and lets me cry. Sometimes He gently reveals something I need to change or work on about myself. Sometimes He asks me to take something to sacramental Confession. Sometimes He gives me counsel, giving me a job to do that will help His will be done in the situation. Sometimes He gives me inspiration for something to write (Thank you, Jesus!). Sometimes He even makes me laugh!
Do I get distracted? Yes, every time! Our human senses often fail us. We are on this side of heaven, so we have to work hard to keep our eyes on the Lord. The key for me is to keep coming back to prayer each time I’m distracted. I try not to get down on myself, but just gently bring my senses back to the conversation. Praying in a dedicated space, like the adoration chapel, is helpful for distractions because it is a place of silence, allowing us to focus on Jesus. But you don’t have to be in the chapel to pray. Finding a place set aside for prayer that is your regular “prayer corner” makes coming into prayer easier. If you have little ones, you might find that you can pray in your bathroom with the door closed for a few minutes and find some peace there. Whatever works, friends!
I usually end my prayer by thanking Jesus for hearing me and for whatever fruits I have “gathered” from our time together. I might take a little time to write down the things He asked me to do, insights I gained, or a phrase that I heard Him tell me in a prayer journal. Nothing major, just a few lines of notes.
In this way, I can be sure that when I seek out Jesus in this intimate, personal way that He truly does hear me: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears…This poor soul cried and was heard by the Lord and was saved from every trouble” (Psalm 34:4,6). I am the poor soul that He hears, loves, and saves.
Jesus, I trust that You hear me when I cry out to You. Help me to believe that You are truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, even though my human senses see, taste, and touch bread and wine. Help me to believe with eyes of faith. Help me to trust that You hear me when I cry out to You in prayer.
“Down in adoration falling, This great sacrament we hail. Over ancient forms of worship, newer rites of grace prevail. Faith tells us that Christ is present, When our human senses fail.”
Pange Lingua Gloriosi, St. Thomas Aquinas