A Prayer Ritual

When you pray, do it with faith, says the apostle James in his only epistle. Wait before you start praying to place yourself in conditions of faith, so that you do not accumulate vain words before God without effect. The living Lord, attentive to our needs, does not expect us to 'perform' our prayer but wants us to approach Him with heart and pray with faith.

Let him who asks, ask with faith, without doubting; for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. Such a man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. (James 1:6)

A form of ritual is needed to place oneself in good conditions for prayer. Not necessarily an external ritual that would require a specific time, a special place, or accessories such as candles, rosaries, crosses, or others (which are not forbidden if they help us) but rather a ritual in the way of approaching and preparing mentally, an inner method that can be practiced anywhere with or without accessories. Here it is:

First, I approach God in prayer, through Jesus Christ. The Word says: let us draw near to the throne of grace.

Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

I become aware that I am approaching a throne, invisible certainly, but very real, a position of supreme authority. Everything is possible to Him who is on this throne because He reigns over all things and all situations. It is a throne of grace. Grace! Before this throne, I will not claim any merit. God will not give me because I deserve it. He will not deprive me of the answer because I do not deserve it. He will grant me because I believe in Him who has deserved everything for me. Grace is an unmerited favor. I approach an all-powerful throne that grants only unmerited favors. A throne of grace !

For as many as are the promises of God, in Him (in Jesus Christ) they are yes. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

Everything has been acquired by Jesus Christ. If I claim Him and what I ask is in His will, or at least not against His principles of love and wisdom, God's answer is yes. YES! I can therefore be bold.

I do not seek to feel God's presence as a prerequisite for prayer. This search for sensations is a powerful hindrance. We do not feel God. I let myself be convinced by meditating (thinking) on these beneficial truths of His Grace and His omnipotence and, at the moment I do so, it is possible that sensations and emotions arise but not always. They are in any case, never proof that God is there and that He has listened to me. For God is always there and He always listens to us, whether we feel it or not. Faith establishes in us a certainty and it is this soothing and comforting certainty that invariably triggers peace, hope, and joy. These are sensations and feelings of the soul, not a special manifestation of God's presence. Let us remember that emotions are little sheep, not shepherds. They must follow, never lead.

I therefore approach using my renewed intelligence, using what I know to mentally place myself in an attitude of faith: I know that I can approach the Father because Christ died, because His blood washed me, the Bible affirms it. If I did not know it, I know it now. His blood, His life shed on the cross purified me in the eyes of the Father. Thanks to this, it is possible for me to receive all favors because He has deserved them all for me.

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus. (Hebrews 10:19)

I acknowledge my faults without seeking excuses if my conscience is troubled. A few sentences are enough without dwelling on or pitying myself. Our conscience, freely purified through the knowledge of these truths, strengthens and breaks down the walls of condemnation that block our way to confident and assured prayer. And reconciled, in the presence of Him who forgives, we also receive the desire and strength to soil ourselves less and less, to need less and less a long cleansing.

That is why I do not dwell on my faults. I submit them, through simple confession, to the purifying action of the Blood, this Blood shed on the Cross, which I know is the bloody and eternal proof of the forgiveness of all my past, present, and future faults, then I boldly enter the time of prayer.

My faith in the Word assures me that I have free access to the sanctuary (into God's presence), before the throne (often contradicted by my impressions that I do not listen to), by the blood of Jesus, not by my good conduct. I therefore have a right of audience and for that, the moment I close my eyes I am now before the throne of grace.

The reception of any favor will come from God's unconditional love for me, love that He manifested to the utmost by the sacrifice of His Son, in case I doubt His real desire to bless me.

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

I do not see Him, I do not feel Him but I am there before Him. I am now ready. I am in faith, faith in what He said in His Word and here I am ready to make my needs known to Him. Prayer can begin. God Almighty is on His throne. He listens to what I say to Him. I am brief, I do not listen to myself speak. I speak to Him, precisely, with all my heart. No need for a flood of words to express my need to God. However, if I am talkative, God will not be disturbed. It is just not useful and I risk not remembering what I asked for.

And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. (Matthew 6:7)

And then I can be silent and continue the audience without words, but always in faith. How? Once we have spoken, once we have asked, once we have made our needs known, we have been heard. Faith becomes a look of confident expectation towards the throne, towards Christ. I keep my hand mentally extended towards God. I expect to receive something. A thought, a word, a certainty, a peace, an unblocked situation, a healing, a phone call, an answer.

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He is gracious to us. (Psalms 123:2)

I keep my attention directed towards God. All this can be done in silence. It is as if I were lifting my eyes to God. This is an expression because if I am born again, Christ lives in me. He is in me. Now that I have prayed and I am silent, the hand of my faith is extended towards Him, my attention is directed towards Him. It is still prayer.

I am grateful to Him for having listened to me. And I rejoice in having been heard. I rejoice in His presence by praising Him even if I do not feel anything. I do not need to feel. Faith is not connected to the 5 senses. It is important to repeat it. Now, at the moment my faith grasps the unchanging presence of God, emotions, joy, and the feeling of communion come. This is how the soul works. But seeking these things as proof of God's presence is a very common and blocking error for prayer. At any moment He can speak to my heart or fill me with His communion. The Spirit can lead me to speak in spirit in other tongues if I do not know what to pray or how to pray. I say this for those who have grasped this incredible tool of prayer that the Father has given.

For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. (1 Corinthians 14:2)

Anything can happen. This is all praying with faith. And when I get up to go about my daily activities, I remain in the memory of what I asked Him and in this confident expectation that I have been heard, that the answer to my prayer will not be long in coming. Anyway, I will pray until God has answered me or given me the certainty, the inner testimony, that I have what I asked Him for.

And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. (1 John 5:15)

God speaks in one way or another. I will receive an answer anyway and the intelligence to understand it, at the right time.

Indeed God speaks once, or twice, yet no one notices it. (Job 33:14)

Now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:7-8)