Reaching a Little Higher

As we pick the “low-hanging fruit” along our faith walk, we begin to reach for those gems we can see, just up a bit higher. I think of the low-hanging fruit as those foundational practices for living our Catholic faith, such as daily prayer, regular confessions, Mass every Sunday and, if possible, during the week, as well as regular spiritual reading.

Participating earnestly at this level stokes an ever-expanding desire to draw more deeply into union with Jesus. As I do this, I find that the Lord fosters within me a curiosity and a taste for new fruits. For example, I’m developing a greater appetite for suffering and sacrifice. I can cry out with St. Paul, “to live is Christ, to die is gain”, as I say yes to small daily deaths to self that open the way for more of Christ’s life in me.

I’ve written two prayers that help me express these desires to the Lord, which I share with you below. May the praying of these prayers lead us each to greater nearness and intimacy with our Lord. May we taste His sweetness and allow Him to satisfy the deeper desires of our hearts.

Lord Jesus, thank You for bringing me to the start of this new day. I believe that You desire to do new things in my heart, my mind, my relationships and my life. Grant me great docility that You might have Your way in me! My deepest desire is to belong wholly to You. I give You my whole heart, my will, and all my desires.

May the fire of Your love consume my heart, burning away any rival affections or disordered priorities. May I, with great eagerness, seek to please You through my daily living. Keep me in Your Heart and teach me Your way of love. Help me to grow in humility, mercy, and compassion. In Your Name I pray, Amen.

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Lord, I long to spend more time with You. The noise, unrest, and busy-ness around me urges and deepens my desire for quiet time with You. You alone bring relief to my heart and soul. Each quiet breath, drawn slowly and with the whisper of Your Name, shifts my gaze until it once again rests on Your abiding Presence within me. Thank You Jesus! Thank You that You, my Rest, my Comfort and Consolation, perpetually and patiently await my return to our interior home.

As I engage in my daily activities, help me remain faithful to Your Will, with each thought, word and action. Until we meet one another again, in the silence of interior contemplation, I make my day an offering to You. Amen.

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